The Tale of Two Utterly Gutsy Shinobi
by MomoMokuba
Summary: The pain Naruto and Hinata had to suffer through must have been unbearable, but, they were not alone. Together, perhaps they can muster enough power to change the world.
1. Back Story

**Okay guys, this will be an experiment. Or, more like a test, a test to my writing and creativity skills. I'm going to attempt to write a long progressing overview of my two favorite characters- Naruto and Hinata, their relationships, their pasts, everything. Please bear with me, for I am not entirely caught up with the series, and will most likely have many writer's blocks. As of now, I'll intent to keep this fanfiction rated T due to further events. However, the rating may change to M. As of now I am not sure. Please enjoy reading! **

The young heiress of the legendary Hyuga clan held a unique name, Hinata Hyuga. She was indeed a beauty, but do not be fooled, beauty would get you nowhere in this world.

Deemed a failure, she would often cry herself to sleep, unknowing that there was someone who experienced similar pain.

Naruto Uzumaki was this boy's name. He was well aware of the sorrow which engulfed him daily. He often seemed overbearing, which was part of his rather convincing façade. One would have to be skillful to peer through, to acknowledge his overwhelming sorrow. Naturally, only few could. He later learned that it would be ignorant to blame them, for many people have enjoyed the company of their parents after they were too young to not remember such interactions. Many simply wouldn't be able to comprehend the loneliness of watching fellow peers hold their mother's hands, it was so utterly normal that no one put a second thought into perhaps that was indeed the cause of his reckless behavior, or perhaps, simply no one had the patience to investigate.

There was another boy located in this village who also shared the burden of loneliness- Sasuke Uchiha. It was their different reactions on similar situations that made them unique- like any other person.

Well known, Naruto often lashed out in need of attention, in which he definitely got, just not in the best way. People often ridiculed him, avoided him, all to no avail. His dream was to be acknowledged and praised by everyone, and he sure wasn't about to back down from such.

Where Hinata often resort to crying, she found this nonetheless admirable and inspiring, contrasting to others feelings of annoyance. Though, she was restricted to act out on these feelings for two prominent reasons.

Due to her predetermined position, she was heavily watched over and guarded constantly, not to mention he strict schedule of study, train, study, train.

In utter fear of someone's disappointment, she simply chose not to. Sometimes it was amusing to watch the boy (in a good way), sometimes it was simply inspiring. The fact that she wasn't alone was enough to push her through each disappointing day, added onto that someone of the same nature had hopes and dreams- big dreams. Things dreamt through naivety that most would brush off, but to her, he'd most certainly accomplish.

As stated previously, Sasuke was also of similar nature. Many would ask how come she'd pay no attention to the rather attractive boy, certainly many girls fantasized of being with him. Not only that, adults were stunned by his excelling skills in ninjutsu. It's fairly simple, actually. Many would turn a blind eye, or perhaps were blatantly ignorant to his dark desires. Sure, they were big, in fact they were unachievable for most. He displayed minimal effort in the academy, it bothered both Naruto _and _Hinata (of course- she'd never let this be shown. She always was timid). Never dare she make a commotion over it, for it was simply not needed.

Naruto, on the other hand, was obviously oblivious. Still is. That love he for so long desired has always been there, but he always seemed to be preoccupied.

He "met" (if that's what you want to call it) her before many of his other classmates. It was one fateful evening; training was as rigorous as usual. Her younger sister had slowly but surely has been catching up to her, and it was finally the fateful day where she would surpass Hinata. It was saddening, disheartening, but necessary. The Hyuga clan was not a clan of weakness whatsoever, and they weren't about to start with a simply incapable heiress who preferred peace and kindness. Unheard of!

Though, it was a heavy burden, being nearly disowned by your father and sister- your only family- in a single night. It was only natural to act on emotion, to run as far as your legs would take you.

Children otherwise unknowing weren't always too fond of her, she had her arrogant cousin to blame for that. Particularly the children who didn't have the "luxury" of being born into a rich, well known clan, they often despised her, out of envy of course. It was just misfortune on her part when she happened to run into three of them in her sorrow. The events that followed all happened in a blur, she was shoved, pushed, eventually onto her knees. The ground did a good job of soaking her tears, coming out in chocked sobs.

And like that her hero was there, taking on the bullies. He obviously didn't stand much of a fight, evident from his small frame and lack of experience; however, it was enough time for her body guard to arrive. They left in a hurry, leaving Naruto in a rather bad condition. She was forbidden to help, but, from that day, her admiration for him continued to grow.

And it would never stop.


	2. Inspiration

The days became easier to go by on Hinata's end. Knowing that there was a bigger purpose to life, she spent her days training extra hard. Hard in hopes of being acknowledged by she didn't know whom. Her father or Naruto? Perhaps anybody at this point. She often longed for the days that an adult would look down at her and smile, a warm, affectionate smile. A smile that's saying "good job, I'm proud of you."

They most certainly never came from her father, though; she most specifically remembered them from her mother, her mother whom died a rather early death, a non-deserving one. It's often speculated why she passed on, though the real reason isn't entirely clear. Most likely out of weakness after delivering her second child, weakness Hinata most likely inherited.

Once Naruto joined the academy, things definitely got interesting. Not a day was spent where she found herself bored or unoccupied, he always had something up his sleeve.

Naruto naturally found the girl very odd- gloomy and timid. From a young age he made that one of his goals to change. However, a certain spunky girl caught his eye in the academy.

Sakura Haruno was her name. Her hair was abnormally pink, adding to her outstanding personality. People knew her name, that was for sure.

She was the polar opposite from Hinata in many ways.

"Sakura-chan!" You'd hear him yell in the class room numerous times a day. It was rather amusing to Hinata, to watch him gawk over her.

There was one specific day she could remember very clearly, for him on the other hand, vaguely. It was a normal day. Iruka-Sensei was nonetheless annoyed with the random and constant pranks, the class was talkative, and the people of Konoha were otherwise joyous as ever. Everyone except for Hinata, it seemed.

Constant resentment from your older cousin wasn't exactly pleasant, especially when you're father agrees with him. In fact, it could be the worst feeling a young girl could experience- enough to cause her to be sluggish and more unresponsive than usual. She was merely 10, most definitely didn't have enough emotional training nor was sociopathic. Could anyone blame her when she cried alone?

She sat on the sturdy swing in front of their academy whilst the blonde watched in utter disbelief. It was a mere image of him, and he hated it. It disgusted him! Sadness and tear shedding, it was unneeded in this world, something he resented.

Starting with the lonely girl who cried at the swing set, he promised to erase sadness from this cursed Shinobi world, one at a time, if he had to.

"Hey." He muttered, approaching her. Not really the greeting he wanted, but nonetheless, it caught her attention. "What's wrong?"

She flinched, her sobs stopping. She was afraid to look up, although she most certainly knew who it was. Naruto's patience quickly wore thin; he was a troublesome boy indeed.

"So? Why are you so sad? Er..Hi…ma…" The name suddenly escaped him as he tried remembering what Iruka-Sensei or their other classmates called the young girl. However, he realized she conversed with almost no one. It was kind of strange.

"H-Hinata." She corrected him. She always had a stuttering problem- some would go as far as to say it's a permanent speech disorder. However, it was most likely just something anxiety induced, considerably more noticeable when she was near Naruto.

"Ah, sorry." He scratched the back of his head, "I'm not too good with names, but, why are you out here? Did someone say something mean to you or something?"

Immediately she was brought back to the time where he "saved" her from those bullies, and after how her elder warned her not to communicate with him. She felt like she should be ignoring him, to avoid getting lectured, but at the same time, it seemed so wrong. He was a normal boy with normal feelings, and it was something obviously way beyond the young girl's understanding about why no one was allowed to play or even converse with him.

She shook her head timidly, "N-No…I…" She looked away, wiping her cheek with the back of her sleep.

"Speak up! I can't hear a word you're sayin' over here!" He leaned in closer, making her shy away even more. It was weird being so close to him, it seemed like just one of those things that would never happen.

"It's n-nothing." She eventually managed to get out, a bit louder this time. Just the fact that someone was worried about her brought her out of her sadness, not to mention it was Naruto. Now, would she be able to do the same thing?

The look she gave him made his heart ache. It was something that reached out to him, shook him from the inside. Unless you disregard that almost nothing could reach that boy, you'd find it pretty surprising. Nonetheless, he grinned, she was alright and so was he, for this instant, at least. She smiled shyly back, perhaps she had found a friend?

When she arrived home her father seemed extra skeptical, more questioning than usual. It wasn't particularly odd, but at the same time a bit unnerving. Especially when he questioned her about school.

And practically forced her to reveal her contact with the blond male.

"Hm." He looked away for a moment, as if thinking, "I knew it. Kō was right to have been suspicious." His words stung, "Hinata, I have ordered you to stay away from that boy, he is nothing but trouble. Do you understand?"

She knew better than to question her father, no matter how unfair he seemed. She simply nodded, as anyone would.

She would find herself later, after she had finished her training and studying, in her room, contemplating why exactly people shunned Naruto Uzumaki, only to be interrupted by Kō.

Kō was a gentle young man assigned to be Hinata's bodyguard and caretaker. More like a brotherly figure, one who simply wanted the best for her safety and sanity.

"Please forgive me, Lady Hinata." He bowed ever so slightly before her confused figure.

It was silent for a moment before he continued, "I saw what happened today. I am the one who informed your father." Suddenly it made sense, though, she was not upset. It was his job, after all, and though she was too young to understand, she knew it was probably for the best.

Given that, she simply nodded and replied in her usual quiet tone. "I understand."

Bestowed with her forgiveness, he was more than content. "I wish you a good night, Lady Hinata. You must awake early for training tomorrow." He reminded her.

Again, she just nodded.

Sensing something was not right, he stepped in, "Is there something wrong, Lady Hinata?"

She gawked at him for a minute before responding, "What's wrong with Naruto-kun?"

He grimaced slightly at the addition of the honorific "-kun". "Lady Hinata," he began, "there will be many things you'll learn with age. This precaution, I assure you, is for your own safety. That boy is nothing but trouble, and your father simply doesn't want you caught up in it." His facial expression gradually changed throughout the statement. "So please don't worry yourself over such things, Lady Hinata."

She thought for a moment, many questions still remained. Such as, "But why, he saved me?" and, "He was the only one who wanted to talk to me when I sat alone.". Knowing better, however, she simply nodded. "I see. I'm sorry."

The older male shook his head nonchalantly, "It's just best at this age to be focused on your studies and training to become the best leader you can be."

That certainly made her happier.

On the other hand, Naruto was alone at his apartment, staring out the bedroom window like he usually did, counting the stars. Though, he noticed, he wasn't able to stay focused too long on one or another as he thought.

He was just ecstatic that he had a semi-rational conversation with someone, though it wasn't much of a long one. The girl was weird and depressing, a lot of times you wouldn't even know she's there. But at the same time, it was charming in one way or another. She didn't react on impulse and yell or hit him like Sakura often did, not to mention the other girls, though, Naruto was still pretty fixated on the pinkette.

Looking out at the night time sky made him drowsy as he thought, each star was so unique and beautiful in its own way. Though, in a different perspective, they all seemed to form events all part of one large picture.

It truly inspired him.


	3. Induced Hope

Hinata never had to worry about staying away from Naruto from that point on, for he never approached her. Although, slowly but surely, she witnessed the gradual formation of relationships with his peers.

It started with a young boy named Kiba Inuzuka, one of the few who actually talked to the shy girl. He was nice…sort of, yet reckless. He seemed to enjoy the time he spend with Naruto (along with Shikamaru and Choji). Though we constantly heard, "You idiot!", and it was often when you heard him laughing. Sometimes she would giggle, too, though no one heard her.

Eventually two boys joined them, as stated previously, Choji Akamichi and Shikamaru Nara. They were already best friends (this was partially due to their father's similar relationship), and she'd often see them eating or walking together. The four of them were "troublesome" as Shikamaru always said; they'd constantly get in trouble for one reason or another, Choji for eating, Shikamaru for sleeping, and Kiba and Naruto for getting into various mischief. Naruto was not the whole cause of this; obviously, there were other trouble-makers in class. It made him feel less alone, and each day was more fun than the previous.

She sat next to a quiet one like herself, one named Shino Aburame. He was a rather mature boy, though at the same time mysterious and made you feel uneasy. He wore a large collar, which already covered up half of his face. Not to mention the sun-glasses and hood; was he trying to drive people off? He often muttered inaudible comments throughout class, sometimes she could make them out, sometimes she couldn't. Something of the lines of "Can't they just be quiet?" or "Why is everyone so loud…?"

Other than them, Sasuke remained quiet in his arrogance while Ino and Sakura constantly argued over some stupid reason or another, either that or they were fangirling accompanied by other girls, all while she silently admired the boy whom everyone shunned.

However, opinions eventually changed of him.

It was a series of incidents in which many were kept in the dark from (for certain reasons), all people know that the next day Naruto suddenly mastered Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu and was promoted to Genin.

Naturally, people were skeptical. The boy, who couldn't even pull off a simple clone, suddenly mastered it in one night? Not only that, he could pull of multiple shadow clones, solid ones! They were merely twelve, but, Hinata was as joyous as ever. She knew he could do it.

On the other hand, Naruto had something to brag about, and you bet he did. Did you expect him not to? His first step to becoming Hokage was finally in action.

Iruka was initially relieved, but constantly reminded him it would get harder at this point. The road of a ninja was long and dangerous.

As he left the academy cheerfully, she couldn't help but repeat, "I knew you could do it, Naruto-kun." In her head. She was old enough to walk home by herself now, that or her father just didn't care as much for her safety anymore. Maybe both. With the added freedom, however, she found herself so desperately wanting to ask him if he wanted to train together, or to play at the park, or even eat at Ichiraku Ramen that evening, though, when she attempted, she was either not heard or shyness overwhelmed her.

It was okay, though, his smile often made up for it. The way she thought he was looking at her (although he was most likely was gazing at Sakura right behind her) often made her blush and timidly look down, much to Shino's confusion (he was rather observant).

People's views on Naruto have already begun to change. He was already seen more than just the vessel of the 9 tailed fox, and now that he was able to acknowledge why everyone avoided him, he had a much better understanding of people. They weren't horrible like he thought, but simply scared, and although he didn't fully understand why, he vowed to change their opinions of him and the fox inside of him. Although, there was talk amongst the town of him, not the criticism he usually received, but more or less praise.

"Did you hear that Naruto kid helped put one of the academy instructors behind bars? He was actually a criminal!"

"No way, that troublesome boy actually did something good for a change?"

"Maybe Naruto isn't too bad after all. He should be like this more."

Hiashi's opinion hasn't changed much, though, he still did not wish his daughters did not go near him, but, he was smarter than that. Naruto was part of "Rookie Nine", contact would certainly be inevitable.

Anxiety came when teams were chosen for the both of them. She wasn't necessarily disappointed when she found out she was a team with Shino and Kiba, though she found it very interesting. They were very…unique individuals, why would she possibly been teamed up with them? Was it picked at random- or was there a purpose?

Much to Naruto's dismay and excitement, he was put on the team with Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura. He didn't know whether to be upset or joyous.

Nonetheless, it took Hinata awhile to adjust to Kiba's abundant energy and Shino's quiet presence. It was almost like they contradicted each other. While, on the other hand, Naruto's team was downright horrible about getting along (what did you expect with so much one-sided love?).

She also found Akamaru quite amusing, Kiba would often let her pet or even hold him (which was pretty surprising considering the fact he almost lets no one do such). She'd even strike up a conversation with Shino sometimes- no matter how awkward.

Then when their Sensei was introduced, Kurenai Yuhi, she couldn't help but feel an overwhelming feeling of comfort. She often offered those affection smiles she longed for- out of sympathy, she did not know. The Kunoichi was rather taken back by her father's coldness when she greeted him, thus maybe she simply decided to take on the role of a guardian herself. Regardless, she was a great Sensei to her, the training wasn't as rigorous as she had grown used to and she, along with her teammates, got the praise they desperately needed as Genin.

In these days, the two almost never saw each other anymore, which saddened her to some extent, however, she was quite aware that he was working his hardest to get stronger, and so she would as well. The glares she got from her cousin where still scary, and the way her father barely looked at her were saddening, but each day when she met her team on the training field made her feel like she was worth something, like she could eventually be something.

Kurenai would often confirm this.

Naruto's first "real" mission earned him a "real" reputation in the Hidden Leaf. He was no longer known as a troublemaker, nor as the kid who got put on the same team with Sasuke Uchiha and The Copy Ninja, Kakashi Hatake. He was known as Naruto Uzumaki, the boy who helped eliminate perhaps the strongest Seven Swordmen of the Mist- Zabuza Momochi, and his subordinate, Haku Yuki. More talk about him spread, almost like wildfire, and Naruto's pranks seemed to cease. It was a nice change for Konoha to say at least. His teammates' views on him gradually changed as well. Sasuke was starting to think of him more than just an annoyance, more than just someone who would drag him down or bother him. Same goes for Sasuke's "number one fan", Sakura. As they all began to see each other more of comrades rather than a childish crush, their teamwork as noticeable improved.

The young Shinobi had much to think about. He was still fairly oblivious, having many naïve ideals in mind, still trying to make as many friends as possible. His biggest concern was becoming strong enough for the Chunin exams. He acted arrogant time to time, but he had the right for the most part.

When she finally built up the courage to ask him if he wanted to train, it was surprising to both of them. Of course he didn't reject, he really had no reason to. Sakura was busy mastering the fundamentals of chakra control and Kakashi wanted to train with Sasuke alone (of course he did- everyone loved Sasuke! Ugh).

As they prepared, he wondered why she wore such a bulky jacket. It certainly couldn't benefit her, unless it was cold, which it was pretty decent. Sure, he wore a jacket as well, but it was designed to allow him free movement, something vital to a ninja. However, he quickly brushed it off. It was her attire- why should he be worrying over it?

"Are ya ready?" He simply asked, they stood a good distance apart.

"I am." She replied, getting into a defensive stance which caught him off guard. She really seemed to know what she was doing!

"Alright! Here I come!" He lurched forward, this was a battle of Taijutsu, further convincing Hinata she would not need to activate her Byakugan for this period of time. It was fairly impressive when she managed to dodge it, rather easily too. She certainly had good evasive skills.

He kept pressing on, though, and his attacks got faster. Attacks she eventually met with her own, and they found a rhythm. Sometimes it would break whenever she was unable to dodge efficiently, same with him, and it wasn't long before they both grew exhausted. She was agile and so was he, though their stamina wasn't as best as it could be.

Panting, they eventually found themselves on the ground next to each other, laughing. It was fun; she never has been up such an energetic opponent before!

"Wow, Hinata, its way more fun to train with you than Sasuke." He said out loud. It might have been kind of mean, but it was entirely truthful. She was strong and he didn't have to hold back against her, yet, she didn't criticize the way he went about his attacks, no matter how ridiculous they seemed.

She was still smiling; it was cute, different for a change. Usually she didn't have much of a reason to, or was too focused; rarely did she ever seem relaxed enough to smile. "Thank you, Naruto-kun…f-for training with me."

He got up, patting the dirt off his orange pants. "Sure! We can do it again sometime later! But seriously, it's getting dark out, you better get home! Just wait until you see me become a chunin!" He began laughing, and so did she.

"I believe in you." She said softly to herself as he ran off in haste. He was right, the sky was growing dark, and she did not need to be scolded again.

Maybe she could become a Chunin, too?

**Is this a little too slow paced? I don't know, I'm still trying to set the overall mood of the story. I'm having a hard time. Please tell me what you think!**


	4. Confidence and Teamwork

As the Chunin exams drew nearer, her cousin's glares only got colder. Kiba eventually grew aware of this, and utterly hated it.

Hinata would go as far as to think of Kiba as a big brother, at least much more of a brother than Neji ever was to her. He knew practically everything about her; from the pain she constantly suffered to her little crush on Naruto, and would often tease her about it.

He was hard on her in training (Shino usually sat in the back forgotten about) in place of their usually absent Sensei. He'll also offer praise in place of her, and constantly worry about his younger teammate. Sometimes he would even go as far to as plan various scheduled training, or just go take a walk together to get her away her family.

Shino was fairly similar, though, in his opinion, it was simply none of his business to get involved with others' family conflicts. He did openly professed strong confidence in her.

She awoke early on a particular morning; it was still quite dark outside. Staying utterly still, she listened for the slightest of sounds before she moved. It wasn't hard to tell someone was outside, and the footsteps were heavy, most than likely her fathers.

Waiting for them to pass, she reviewed what she had to do today. She would meet up with her team in the training fields for a different kind of training, as specified by Kurenai-Sensei, in the morning. Depending on how long that took, she would have the rest of the day to herself (until curfew, that is), which was awfully rare. As long as nothing arose, she could enjoy being alone for once, though, she would most likely run into Ko at one point or another and he'd drag her home for more training.

Her thoughts suddenly got interrupted by two familiar voices, Neji and Hiashi. She was tempted to activate her Byakugan to see what was going on, but that was seen as invasion as privacy and was not meant to use in the household unless absolutely necessary. That and the fact that she would never "spy" on her father, not with the chance of getting caught, that is. She simply closed her eyes as if sleeping and listened intently, the voices were barely audible.

"You have high potential, Neji, therefor I expect no less than victory from you in the upcoming Chunin exams. You have Hyuga blood in you."

"Yes, sir."

It was not surprising that Neji was here, nor that they were conversing at 5 AM. Her father was naturally going to be hard on him and expect Chunin rank from him.

It wasn't long before she heard footsteps gradually leading down the hallway outside her room. They were light, so she could only assume they were Neji's. As she was about to sit up to assume her morning responsibilities, her door suddenly opened, causing her to go completely stiff.

It was her father.

She remained as if she was sleeping in hopes that he would leave, but he did not.

In fact, he walked towards her bed. It made her anxious as the warmth of his hand hovered above her face, and had to refrain from flinching when he gently rubbed his thumb against her cheek. She heard him sigh before walking out, and quickly reviewed the act of affection in her mind.

Did her father seriously just do that? It didn't hurt...it even probably would have felt comforting in the right circumstances. She touched her cheek, right where he did.

It wouldn't do her any use to ponder over it all day, so the best would be to simply forget, and so she did. For now, at least.

Knowing her father and her cousin were outside busy, she got up not feeling very restricted. She bathed and took care of her hair and skin as usual. It was probably inconvenient for a Shinobi to have an appearance that was so demanding in care, but she usually had time for it, so it wasn't much of a problem. Besides, her hair was short.

She left quietly as usual, and made it to the training grounds in no time. Shino was already there, which wasn't too surprising. He was always early.

His greetings were always simple. "Hello, Hinata."

"Good morning…Shino-kun." She would reply. She still couldn't exactly shake the uneasy feeling she got near him, though eventually she would grow used to it. Maybe if he tried dressing less…mysteriously? "How are you?"

"I'm actually not as well as I could be…Why? Becau-."

"Yo Hinata, Shino! Sorry I'm late!" Kiba abruptly interrupted.

Her attention shifted to Kiba, much to Shino's dismay. He thought someone would actually listen to him for once.

"Oh, you're not late, Kiba-kun. We just got here. Kurenai-Sensei isn't even here yet." She explained to the best of her abilities, Kiba grinned.

The three young Shinobi did not have to wait long until their Sensei showed up. She stood out a lot compared to the other Jonin, from her wavy black her to the absence of a normal green flask jacket. Her red eyes were piercing, and sometimes scary, but they were not dōjutsu.

"Oh good, you're already here." She smiled at her students, "As you all know, I have prepared a special type of training today." Kiba yawned as she spoke, "This training will exercise your sensory skills, since you are all sensory type Shinobi."

Kiba looked utterly confused, it was actually somewhat amusing. "'Sensory type Shinobi? What exactly does that mean?"

"Ah, did you not learn in the academy?" She asked, disregarding the fact that Iruka mentioned to her that Kiba was one of the big troublemakers, "Ah…of course. A sensory type shinobi is a shinobi who uses their chakra to gather information about their surroundings. For example, Hinata can use her Byakugan to scope out an area thoroughly, or Shino's insects can gather information on his surroundings and send it back to him. You and Akamaru have your powerful noses which can detect even the faintest of scents."

Kiba's face lightened up as she spoke, as if everything suddenly made sense, "Oh, I see! So that's why we were all put on a team together, right?"

"Most likely." Shino responded stoically.

"Heh, that's right." She confirmed. "You see, in those woods, I have hidden a ball. It has a very distinct smell to it. Now you three try to find it."

They all looked at each other.

"It's at 5 o'clock, Hinata, Shino!" Exclaimed Kiba as he pointed in said direction.

"Scatter." Muttered Shino as his bugs swept the area, it was simultaneous with Hinata's activation of her Byakugan. It wasn't long before they were able to locate and retrieve the ball.

"Their teamwork is outstanding." Kurenai noted.

Kiba seemed rather proud of himself when he presented the small ball to his mentor. Shino didn't really see the point and Hinata stood next to him.

But suddenly, she spoke up. "Um…Kurenai sensei? What exactly was the point of that?"

"I'm glad you asked, Hinata." She smiled, "Though, the exercise isn't over yet. I've hidden yet another ball."

They all looked at her, confused. She continued.

"This ball is scentless, and, Shino, you are forbidden from using your insects to find it, just as Hinata won't be able to use her Byakugan."

"Then how the heck are we supposed to find it?!" Questioned a frustrated Kiba. Almost all his daily activities, especially training, required the use of his nose. Suddenly getting that power stripped from him was not to his liking.

"That will be your job to figure out. I'll monitor your work from here, you may begin." She simply smiled as her pupils looked at each other, confused. The boundaries were large, and the terrain wasn't smooth and completely visible. They had a challenge on their hands.

Kiba groaned as he turned to the other two, who were just as confused. "So, what now?"

"Will you actually listen to me?" Shino asked, his hands in his pockets.

Kiba eyed him suspiciously. "What? Do you have a plan?" Akamaru whimpered in his hood.

"Perhaps." He looked at the woods. They were intimidating. "We'd have a much better chance if we split up. Why? Because we would be able to cover much more ground.

Hinata looked at Kiba, who considered the idea. "I agree with Shino-kun."

Akamaru whimpered once again as he sighed, "I guess we have no choice then. It will be troublesome…" He paused, his nose wrinkled as he realized he sounded like Shikamaru, "Shino, you stick to the trees okay? Hinata, you search west and I'll search on the east end. Meet back here in 10 minutes if you find anything or not."

The two nodded and with that, they were on their way. The young girl racked her mind of what techniques to do in order to find this troublesome ball- without using her Byakugan, that is. She'd simply have to look harder without it. It almost seemed like it was a disability, the field of vision to her was very narrow. Despite this, however, she was able to vaguely scope out the area. As expected, she didn't find anything. The ball was white so it would stand out with the green and brown background, it also was supposed to be very visible, so it's not like she had to take her time searching very thoroughly as much as she was tempted to.

She met at the rendezvous point with her teammates at the correct time, and, judging by the looks on their faces, they weren't successful either.

"This sucks." Kiba gritted his teeth, "let's try a new plan, okay? We searched the area vaguely, so maybe we just have to look deeper. Maybe it _is_ hidden_. _ If we search in a team we would have a better chance of not missing it. Sound good?"

Hinata spoke up for once. "I like your idea, Kiba-kun, b-but…wouldn't that take too long?"

"Are we on a time limit?" Kiba raised a brow.

"N-No, but it's not really efficient. Shouldn't we be treating this as a real mission?"

"I agree with her." Stated Shino bluntly, "it would take way too long, and too much energy would be expended."

His fangs showed as he spoke, making Hinata back up a little, "Shino, you disagree with everything….ugh! Alright. What do you think we should do?"

He did not flinch at the sudden act of aggression. It seemed almost like a challenge, one through canines. However, on this squad Shino would think no less than the two of them than equal, thus, he did not waver in his opinion. "We should try something else. Why? I just said…we could repeat what we just did and take different shifts or-."

"That will take too long, too! If we have to be so efficient, why can't I use my nose or you use your insects? This is stupid!" Kiba looked rather frustrated. Akamaru growled.

Just as Shino was about to reply, Kurenai finally stepped in. Thank god, Hinata did not want to get into a middle of a conflict.

"Alright, that's enough, you two." She sighed.

Kiba looked up at her, "Kurenai-Sensei…what gives? How are we supposed to find a simple ball if Akamaru and I can't use our noses?!"

She almost looked disappointed as she sighed, "Listen up, you three. I never hid a second ball."

The three of them looked up at her in utter shock, awaiting an explanation.

Seeing this, she began explaining. "This was a test of teamwork as well, obviously. You three didn't do so well considering the fact that you were never able to figure out there was no ball….Listen, the point of this is: Kiba, there might be a time where your sense of scent may become useless to you and Akamaru, and, Shino, your insects may not always be responsive in certain conditions. Hinata, there may even become a time where you'll have to refrain from using your Byakugan. Sure, the situation seems very unlikely…but in the Shinobi world possibilities are endless. And for all you know, one day, restricted from those powers, you could be searching for something that isn't even there. That's why teamwork is important, _especially_ in dire situations. Do you understand?"

It took a minute for them to comprehend, Kiba the most.

"Yes, Sensei…I see!" Hinata said, making sense of it all. "You want us all to watch each other's backs."

The crimson-eyed woman simply smiled and nodded. "We will continue normal training from this point forward. I need to inform you three of something later. For now, however, I will work with you today, Shino."

Shino nodded, and the two walked off.

"Guess that leaves us." Kiba scratched the back of his head.

"A-Actually, I'm sorry, K-Kiba-kun, but…I need to improve my Byakugan's accuracy…" She looked away shyly, which was unusual around Kiba.

Once again, he raised a brow. "Eh, it's fine. I can just work on fang over fang with Akamaru or something. G'luck!"

She simply nodded, smiling, before sitting down. Activating her Byakugan, she practiced focusing on smaller objects. It was tough, but worthwhile. She wondered, what was Naruto doing?

Definitely wasn't training, that was for sure.

He indefinitely was enjoying his favorite meal- ramen, with his teacher, Iruka, at his favorite ramen place, of course, Ichiraku ramen. Ramen for breakfast was divine, he often thought.

Iruka raised a brow as Naruto proceeded to finish his 3rd bowl, "Do you plan on training after this?"

Naruto eyed him for a second, "Oh…crap! Yeah. I probably should, huh?" He scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Do you mind paying, Iruka sensei?"

He rolled his eyes.

Hinata's eyes grew strained after a few hours of trying to focus on the smallest of details. It was like someone whom had damaged eyesight trying to read something from afar- it was tiring.

Thus she was fairly happy when Kurenai approached her with Shino and Kiba.

"I've made up my mind." She finally begun, "I think you three are ready."

They looked at her with confusion.

"I want you three to enter the Chunin exams."


	5. He's Finally Watching Me

**Hey guys, thanks for the reviews. I really appreciate them. It motivates me to write more. **

**This chapter will be heavily based off of the Chunin Exam Arc (obviously).I also apologize if I messed anything up, I haven't seen the Chunin exams for months, but I'll do my best to remember. Enjoy!**

As the Chunin exams neared, weird people started showing up in the village. If you thought people in Konoha were odd, try looking at some of the Genin from the Sand or Sound. One in particular made both Hinata and Naruto feel uneasy. Gaara from the sand, along with his siblings, Kankuro and Temari.

Obviously the two were being kept control of using fear by his younger brother. He claimed to be strong, and no one dare tested it.

The Chunin exams came around quickly, too quickly for Hinata to handle. There still was so much she had to learn. It began to get overwhelming, stressing her out to the point where she had trouble sleeping. However, Shino often helped her and Kiba reassured her. So she could bear through it for the most part.

The 1st part of the Chunin exams were easy. Being sat next to Naruto was sheer luck, but her cousin's presence still made her feel uneasy. However, it almost felt as if Naruto could protect her…just by being there. It was comforting.

As stated previously, it was quite simple (well, apparently not to Naruto). One thing she wanted to avoid, no matter the circumstances, is one of them being left behind. Whether that be her becoming a Chunin and not him, or the other way around, she just wanted to catch up to him- to be equal. She knew just how strong he was; perhaps she was the only one to actually considered how much potential he had.

To be honest, he didn't notice her for half the time. Not until he, out of his intense frustration, muttered something inaudible which led her to offer him help. When he asked her why, in his suspicion, she found herself unable to talk. Her face was burning and she fidgeted.

"We need to work together, as the rookies of Konoha…and…I don't want you to leave…" She explained to the best of her ability.

Naruto understood, but as she spoke, he couldn't help but hear a certain sadness in her voice. It was odd. Not to mention her jacket looked like it was practically suffocating her character, if she just would take it off, she would look so more appealing. "You don't understand Hinata. Great Ninja, like me, don't need to cheat." He was lying, obviously, but it was both to hers and his benefit. He didn't want either of them caught, and would either feel terrible or be the victim of Sasuke's and Sakura's criticism for years to come! She simply apologized, and he accepted it. She couldn't help but feel stupid. She didn't have to cheat, but offering her paper to him seemed wrong, the way he rejected it…

As the hour dragged on, various people got called out. None from Konoha, though, which wasn't too surprising. It was rumored that the rookies were smart, and Neji was a genius. Tenten and Lee didn't have any trouble bearing through it on their own, so all that awaited them was the last question.

The time they had to wait was nerve wracking, especially for Naruto, whose rank depended on it.

And once he announced it was time to finally reveal the question, they both thought their heart was going to leap out of their chest. Though, as he explained it, he wasn't giving the genin much of a choice. Either take the question and risk not being able to become a chunin for the rest of your life, or try again next year. There were many people who got up and left out of not cowardice, but caution. It was smart, too, but there were certain people who wouldn't simply back down so easily. Naruto inwardly debated it, along with the remainder of people. Though Sakura was certain in her abilities, and despite the fact she seemed like she didn't care much for the loud male, she did have somewhat faith in his dream, and she did want to see him happy.

The blond seemed extremely conflicted, frustrated, even. When he raised his hand, it scared both his team and Hinata senseless.

The exclamation, "Don't underestimate me!" earned an exasperated sigh from both Sakura and Sasuke, as well as a smile from Hinata. She knew he wouldn't give up that easily.

Everyone was happy when they found out they passed the first test, and Naruto's arrogance made Hinata giggle. It was cute!

The premature entrance of a certain violet-haired Shinobi startled everyone. She was scary looking- and her voice was rather loud and demanding. Her name was Anko Mitarashi, the examiner for the second test. After threatening them indirectly, she demanded they follow her, and so they did.

The large trees surrounded by tall fences, otherwise known as the "forest of death", were intimidating. Hinata stood close to Shino and Kiba as Anko explained.

She couldn't help but feel an overwhelming anxiety as the examiner professed her certainty in Naruto's death.

Overall, it seemed fairly simple. You get one scroll; you try to get the other. It couldn't be _that _hard, right?

Team Kurenai took the time they were provided before the test started to assess their chance of survival and make a plan of action- which was smart. It would be suicide to charge in blindly on such a rigorous mission. Technically speaking, they were probably the most advanced rookie team Konoha had to offer. Hinata had her Byakugan, which gave her a ride range of view, Kiba and Akamaru had their noses which could have endless advantages in such a harsh environment, which was conveniently well-suited for Shino's insects. It'd be a cinch, for them, at least. Sure, other teams had advantages in power, but looked in a different perspective and one would conclude that if you were trapped in a zone designed like a forest, with endless people wanting you dead, you'd rather have a wider range of sight and a better chance of avoidance than a victory of an unnecessary battle. Kiba, though, was still worried about Hinata. She was more timid than usual; he'd just hope she wouldn't give up.

Of course, Team Gai probably had the best chance of surviving out of everyone. Not only did they have the Byakugan; they had two ninja who specialized in hardcore fighting alone. A close ranged taijutsu specialist and a kinoichi who specialized in weapons, even Neji couldn't deny she was pretty good. Even distracted, she'd always hit her targets dead on. They're names were Rock Lee and Tenten.

Though, Neji still thought them significantly inferior. Lee was troublesome and annoying with his constant speeches on training. Tenten often praised him, though he never took much notice. He'd often think he didn't belong on the team. However, even before his enlightenment, Tenten could sometimes manage to break through his arrogant demeanor. Sometimes he'd find her interesting, though he would refuse to admit it. She would always pester him that she, or any other kinoichi, could be just as good as him. Yet, at the same time, she called him a genius and praised his abilities. It confused him, for he didn't know whether to find her utterly annoying like his other "hot-blooded" teammate, or a fangirl. Nonetheless, he concluded, she would never be able to reach his talent.

Before they knew it, it was time to go. Hinata was ultimately happy in her choice of attire, and surely others suddenly envied it as well. A jacket would be the best way to avoid various insect bites (Shino never saw the problem with this) and the cold. It almost made her feel safer in a way.

It was not long before the squad encountered their first squad of Shinobi, and it was not long before those Shinobi were defeated.

The struggle concerning team 7 was much worse right now (but we're not going to get into that).

To put it simply- hardships were endured, but all Konoha teams came out alive during the second test. Though, team 7 was particularly changed. Sakura seemed worried while Sasuke, who some people where actually beginning to grow fond of, seemed disheartened.

Due to more than half than expected passing, preliminaries were held. Everyone was utterly exhausted, and Hinata was beginning to wonder whether this exactly was human or not.

Hinata watched as Sasuke went up against an unknown ninja, and was astonished by the strength the Shinobi both held. The match ended rather quickly, she just hoped she'd get an easy opponent…

Next was Shino against yet another unfamiliar Shinobi. However, Kiba and Hinata had utmost confidence in their team-member. Shino was victorious, which gave both of them hope. Though as more and more matches continued, she couldn't help but get more worried.

It was awhile, and Kiba grew impatient. It was nerve wracking. But, he didn't have to wait long, for he eventually got paired against Naruto Uzumaki.

What?

This was very conflicting for Hinata, for she didn't know whom to wish victory upon. In all honesty, she was very acquainted with Kiba's and Akamaru's skills and believed he could beat Naruto if he didn't end up doing something stupid, yet she liked Naruto and really wanted him to become a chunin!

Though, it was extremely interesting how Naruto won…if you can call it a victory…

It was Hinata's turn next, and, against the one person she absolutely did not want to fight, in fact, she'd rather fight anyone besides him. Neji Hyuga, her cousin. Kiba couldn't help but urge her to forfeit as he was being borne away on the stretcher- not that he did not have confidence in her. He simply knew Neji's strength, and did not want to see her seriously hurt.

However, she didn't. For the first time, she would look at her cousin in the eyes; look at him as equal rather than superior- because he was not superior. Technically speaking, he was inferior, but she refuses to think of him as that, either. She was unaware of just how many people were worrying sick over her.

"I'd never thought I'd face you, Lady Hinata." His words were cold, and she couldn't even remember the last time they conversed. Perhaps when they were extremely young, maybe when he was fond of her.

As they looked at each other, strategizing, Kakashi, with the help of Lee, took the liberty of explaining their relationship to the other Genin. It was a complicated one indeed.

The Hyuga clan was not like other clans, they were very protective of their Dojutsu, the Byakugan. The visual jutsu is practically why the Hyugas are even a clan, and it's only natural to assume that many people would be after it in search of power. Because of these culprits, everyone got paranoid, paranoid to the point where the Hyuga split up.

Split up into the main house and the branch house, to be precise. The branch protects the main, and they all undergo a sealing process at the age of 3 in which, in the case of death, the Byakugan will seal away to prevent it going in the wrong hands. Not only that, it provides direct controls over the members.

Which means betrayal could results in easy death.

Neji's father died under these 'stupid rules', and the fact that he has been under control since such a young age has caused him to convince himself he was destined for such a fate. You can consider him the most arrogant, ignorant prick you know, but, he _was_ suffering. His pain was of that deeper than Hinata's, but he never told anyone. It would be an act of weakness, and besides, getting help wouldn't actually do anything. He _was_ destined to suffer daily.

But Neji was strong, probably stronger than Hinata would ever be, and it was quite obvious he'd make a very suitable heir, all the more reason he resented the main house.

That why when "Now begin the match!" was heard echoing throughout the room, she could easily see his intense rage, and it frightened her. It frightened her deeply. She would always be fine with being friends with the older male, but, it would be something he may never allow.

Though he's not entirely senseless and cruel, he did warn her to forfeit, although he added her flaws to it. He thought poorly of her- she was too nice, she preferred harmony and wanted to avoid conflicted. It utterly disgusted him, she was a Shinobi, not a housewife.

And as Neji's physiological torture persisted, Naruto's patience began to wear thin.

Although, Neji undoubtedly had a very poor judgment of character when he was young. He'd assume that Hinata only persisted to move on only because of other people, because she simply couldn't say no.

Outwardly, that could've been true depending on how you look at it. Hinata was a very shy girl, and rather gloomy. She would agree with people to avoid getting into conflict, and didn't want to hold people back. After it seeming like you have lived your life entirely for someone else, however, you eventually get tired of it.

She knew Naruto would be able to change himself, and she would change herself. This decision was because of Naruto, however, it was not for Naruto, as many people misunderstand. She intended to remain kind, cruelty just didn't suit her. However, she would catch up to him, and she would never go back on her word.

However, Neji did not think so. "As I thought, you are a spoiled brat of the main house. People cannot change themselves. Those who are weak were destined to be weak, their personality and strength will not change. You are more ignorant than I thought. Intelligence and strength are what people will judge upon, and based on that, you'll be either discriminated or discriminated against, and they will suffer on their own means based on these unchangeable features…just like how you are part of the main house and I am part of the branch."

Naruto's knuckles whitened as his grip tightened on the railing. This was getting unbearable to watch, and how untrue his words were…if anything he was the ignorant one! Obviously Hinata was defeated. She was never good with words.

"Face it, Lady Hinata." He gritted his teeth, "You cann-."

"Shut up, you idiot! What do you know about her? Kick his butt, Hinata!" Naruto interrupted, just in time, too. Hinata was overwhelmed- she couldn't take it. On the verge of tears, she was so desperate to prove to him that he was so very wrong, that she could change herself. She could get stronger, she could survive!

She looked up in sheer amazing, "Naruto-kun…"

It would appear that he was about to jump over how mad he was, "Hinata, stand up for yourself, I believe in you! This is hard to watch!"

That's all she needed. The comfort in his reassuring words were all she needed to look at her cousin in the eyes once again, in which he noted looked different. "Thank you." She thought.

Thoughts raced through her mind as she activated her Byakugan. As she got into her defensive position, he cousin muttered something inaudible. Her sudden determination was intimidating. "Brother Neji, now we fight."

"Fine." He muttered once again, assuming the same position. It was almost like ying and yang, watching those two.

They were predictable as they clashed; they both learned from the same person and used the same style, however, his abilities stretched out to a farther extent. Though, it was rather impressive when she managed to get a blow on him, and even more impressive when she gained the upper hand in the battle. Naruto's cheers helped.

It all ended too quickly with one fatal blow. A sharp pain extended outwards from her chest, pulling her entire body into shock. She was serious about not giving up, though, and tried again, though, in her weakened state it was no longer much of a fight. He just obtained the upper hand in merely one move, and had her in his grip. After pushing her down, he proceeded with the whole "you can never change speech".

"Forfeit." He sounded demanding now; he would prefer not killing her.

She ultimately thought of when her father chose Hinabi over her, and how she was ignored from then on. How she was deemed a failure from her kindness…it upset her to a great extent. She could have easily gone down the wrong path if it weren't for the same boy cheering her on, the same boy that was worrying about her- that young ninja she so deeply admired.

Even to his surprise, she rose again, despite her fatal injuries; she was still able to find determination to even move.

"I never go back on my word. That is also my ninja way!"

"Hinata." Naruto thought. She was amazing, gathering the strength after being humiliated and defeated, it inspired him. He wanted to help her, to reassure her. "I never knew Hinata was this incredible!"

Lee and Sakura agreed with, "She's just like you, Naruto." And, "She's always watching you, haven't you noticed?"

Her breathing grew heavier, but the fire in her eyes did not cease. However, there's only so much a human body can take, only so long before the adrenaline wears out. She clenched her chest in pain, Kurenai was on the verge of jumping in.

Again, Naruto was getting upset. Perhaps it was because it all reminded him to much about himself and his struggle, and all he could do was support her. "Hinata! You can do it!"

It's amazing how a few simple words can give a person's life meaning. Even Neji was dumbfounded at this point, what she was doing was nearly physically impossible. Not only was she able to stand and walk, but to still keep up the fight with limited chakra circulation? It's like suicide. However, when she looked at him, no matter how silly he really was, she felt courage. That she's worth something- that if she were to try her best, she could do it no matter the task.

She got hit again.

And again.

Before she knew it she was on the floor, she was looking up at him, sounds were becoming faint.

But she got up. She proved everyone wrong and got up again.

"He's finally watching me." Was all she could repeat in her mind, "they're all watching me." And thus, she smiled shakily. "I can't look this bad."

"Why do you chose to suffer?!" He demanded, losing patience, "People cannot change, for it is destiny. Just let it go already!"

She looked up at him, she was very uncoordinated and her vision was quickly going downhill, but she came to a very clear realization. "I see…the person who is lost, the person who is really suffering with the destiny of the main and branch houses…is you."

Enraged, he charged towards her. Though, he was by far not a chance for the jonin supervising.

She clutched her heart again, this time in sheer agony. She was going into cardiac arrest, and the last person she saw was Naruto. It made her unusually happy.

She finally proved them wrong.


	6. A Change of Heart

When Hinata awoke, she didn't see Naruto again. Instead, it was Kiba, and they were in a hospital.

She was sore- that's all she could tell, and she didn't dare move. Kiba raised a brow as he began to realize she was awake. "Oi, Shino! Get in here!" He called out. She leaned her head back again as she tried to recall her memories. It was hard, though, she was drowsy and felt light headed. Soon enough her sensei and other teammate were in the room looking very relieved.

"What happened?" She tested her ability to talk.

Kurenai looked away briefly, "Hinata, you fought your cousin in the preliminaries. You were doing well, but…" she sighed, "he hit you and you went into cardiac arrest. That was yesterday- the medical team treated you and you'll be alright as long as you take it easy for a while."

She remembered it clearly now, and was tempted to ask, "Where is Naruto-kun?" but refrained, for she didn't want to trouble her team.

"Hinata…are you an idiot?" This remark made her look over at Kiba, whom didn't wear his normal jacket and had Akamaru resting soundly on his shoulders. "I told you if you had to fight Neji, to forfeit immediately! It wasn't worth it!"

He was cut off by Kurenai placing his hand on his shoulder and shaking her head. Kiba huffed.

She looked away in guilt. Kiba grimaced.

"Look, I'm sorry. I just don't want to see you hurt again."

"I agree." Shino nodded.

Kurenai looked at Hinata, who seemed to be becoming more and more aware. "Hinata, you did extremely well. I'm so proud of you…now you just rest up, you deserve it, okay?"

She simply nodded before her and Shino said their goodbyes before leaving to train for the finals of the Chunin Exams- in which they explained they had a month to practice for. Kiba, however, stayed. It's not like he could leave the hospital anyways, his ability to move was still fairly weak and didn't have a reason to, anyways. He wasn't going to become a Chunin anytime soon. Besides, he would prefer to keep Hinata company. Hinata eventually gained the strength to sit up, which worried him. His attempts to make her take it easy did not reach her, and besides, her legs were stiff. He set Akamaru on the bed before letting her lean on him for support. The inside of her chest still hurt, along with her abdomen area. The medical nins were not too advanced, but they did save her life and managed to get her out of critical condition. Her body could easily handle the rest.

Kiba gritted his teeth, "Naruto told me everything that happened, Hinata." He paused for a moment, watching her intently as her eyes shifted downwards, "Why'd you do it? You know you don't have to prove anyone wrong, _especially him (Neji)_." His voice was unusually soft.

Her fist clenched as she looked down. Kiba awaited her answer, but eventually realized she was crying. "Crap! Did I make her do that?" He thought, a sense of guilt washing over him. She was no hero- not by a long shot, though she held the determination of one. Even so, people like her could break easily under the right conditions. Akamaru whimpered as Kiba contemplated over what to do- comfort her?

"Hinata, why are you crying?" He finally asked. He honestly wasn't too good at words. Even with her lack of response, it didn't take him long to figure out. Although he didn't understand why, what he could understand is that even though her cousin nearly killed her, she finally got people to acknowledge her. Kiba never had to deal with such things, for he had a scary yet loving mother and sister, his buddy, Akamaru, and of course his friends. Though, it must have been life changing. Sighing once again, he gripped both of her arms gently, "Please don't cry."

He hugged her. It was comforting and affectionate, like a brotherly type hug. Not to tight, for he was afraid to hurt her.

She continued crying into his shirt.

Neji was harshly scolded for not taking mercy on his cousin by Hiashi and a few other members of the Hyuga. He was 'destined' to serve her, and if you ended up hospitalizing her you're probably not doing a very good job. He gritted his teeth through the lecture as he recalled the match. How dare she accuse him of suffering- of being weak? That trait is something that is destined for certain people, and it certainly wasn't him. He denied her words, he was utterly disdainful.

She made him sick.

The span of a month passes extremely quickly if you're training for a death match, at least according to Naruto it does. Though, in that month, a lot as gotten done, including mild chakra control, the ability to summon power from the 9 tails, and he formed a contract with the toads. He learned this under an old pervert who called himself Jiraiya of the Toad Sages! How ridiculous! Though, he was undeniably strong…amongst other things.

The thought of that Neji guy though, it made him upset. Acting all high and mighty like that, how dare he? Furthermore, calling him a loser without even knowing him, however, thinking about it, he really didn't differ from much other people in his life. Hinata was strong, he concluded, she was amazing. There was so much potential hidden under that quiet demeanor of hers, though he did not know exactly the reasoning behind it. Besides learning the fact that her cousin was an all-out ass to her, but, did she even live with her cousin? There was so much he wanted to know, yet, he could never seem to find the time to ask her. He was too busy keeping his newly found master on track with his training; it was almost like he was the teacher here. So frustrating.

In this month, Sasuke was nowhere to be found. That was weird, neither was Kakashi! Naruto wasn't the brightest of the bunch.

In the month provided to Kiba, he was determined to uncover more of Hinata's past- to understand more of his teammate. He did not wish to be ignorant, in the dark about something that was so important to her.

He waited outside the estate for her, though he kept his distance, and when she finally arrived, he couldn't help but to raise a brow. "Are you sure you're up for this? You haven't fully recovered Hinata. I don't want you to get hurt…again." He noticed that unlike other times they hang out together, she did not wear such heavy clothing. Instead it was just a casual T-shirt; it was most likely just a precaution to her previous injuries, just how Kiba wasn't wearing his jacket.

"Yes, Kiba-kun, I promise I'm fine today. Where are we going to go?"

"Ehh…" he averted his eyes briefly, "well, I was gonna suggest we'd go take a walk or something, but maybe it'd be better if we take it easy. Want to get something to eat?" Kiba didn't even have Akamaru today, which was almost unheard of. If you saw Kiba, Akamaru would usually be on his shoulder or head, and if you saw Akamaru roaming around Kiba was surely near. He simply wanted to keep it personal, going as far as to leave his dog at home. "We can go to Ichiraku's, if you want."

She nodded reluctantly, and followed him throughout town. It was lively as ever, that was undeniable, though today it was rather annoying. They would have both preferred a quieter atmosphere, especially Hinata, who felt an aching in her chest. Yes, a physical aching which sometimes made her cough if she got too worked up. That is why it was important for Kiba to take his time navigating through the large crowd of villagers, who were content with nearly everything. It was almost annoying to see how carefree they were.

It was relieving to finally arrive, the tantalizing aroma of the salty ramen- it was mouthwatering. No wonder Naruto came here all the time, though, it was a bit ridiculous when you consider he'd eat almost every meal here. Kiba didn't feel like questioning Naruto's life style right now. Carefully he'd help her get in her seat before taking his own, and quickly glanced over the menu. There wasn't of a variety, but it was fine.

The chef greeted them with a warm smile, "Hello, and welcome to Ichiraku's! What would you like to eat?"

They both ordered, not in haste, and enjoyed the time they had without people crowding over them. Hinata leaned forward on the counter, playing with her nails or something. He couldn't tell.

"You okay? You've been quiet ever since we've left." It's been roughly a week since the preliminaries, 2 days since she got out of the hospital.

"No…I'm sorry if it seemed that way. I'm just wondering when I can begin training again."

His mouth hung open briefly before responding, "Hinata, how can you even think about training at this moment? Look at you!"

"I know." Her response was quick, and she didn't shy away, "I need to become stronger….for myself, and my family." The smile she offered was genuine.

Their food wasn't even served yet when they heard the obnoxious yelling of an all too familiar Shinobi in the background. "Yeah, yeah, just come this way! I promise it'll be good! Stop trying to- agh, come on!"

"What the hell is Naruto up to know?" Kiba asked, looking behind him. Honestly, he did not feel like seeing after nearly paralyzing him. Ugh, the horror…

Hinata asked quietly to herself, "Naruto-kun? He's really here?" It made her happy; she hasn't seen him since she lost consciousness.

It wasn't long before the blond came charging in, gripping the wrist of an older male. "Come on, come on. It's right here!" He looked rather annoyed. He was followed by a tale male whom had an eccentric appearance, fitted with waist-length, spiky white hair, and red lines that ran down from his eyes.

His name was Jiraiya, and he was just as eccentric and flashy as his appearance suggested, although, he too looked annoyed.

"Listen Naruto, I have a bunch a research I need to be getting to so if you'll just let me-."

"No! If I let you go you'll never come back, just eat with me! I promise it's good." Naruto huffed. He didn't even realize the other two were there.

"Shut up, will ya?!" Kiba finally huffed, "You're not the only one in here, bonehead!"

This made Naruto quickly turn around, his annoyed expression replaced with a grin. "Oh, hey Kiba…and Hinata! Sorry, it's just.." As he felt the tug on his hand he turned around again, "Where do ya think you're going? Just sit down!"

Defeated, the older male sat down with a sigh, next to Naruto, who sat next to Kiba. "Sorry 'bout that…hehe…Pervy Sage won't stay focused!"

"What did I tell you about calling me that?!" He lifted up his head in a prideful manner, "I am Jiraiya, the Toad Sage. How disrespectful!"

"Whatever!" He stuck out his lip, Hinata laughed before cringing, causing Kiba to rub her shoulder and urge her to calm down.

The chef turned around, and while serving their food, saying, "Ah, my favorite customer! And Jiraiya, how've you been?"

"Eh? You two know each other?!" Naruto looked utterly confused.

The chef smiled "Of course, used to eat here all the time! Now what would you two like to eat?"

Hinata and Kiba ate silently, listening to them as they conversed. So much for tranquility. They may just have to move their conversation somewhere else if that was possible, or perhaps they could use the inconvenience of the situation to their advantage.

"How has your father been treating you, Hinata?" Over the loud talking of the two next to them, it was barely audible. But she listened.

"Good…I guess. He visited me a few times in the hospital when you weren't there." This struck Kiba as odd, for he spent almost his entire days with her, "and…um…he had Ko-san watch over me. That's all; he still doesn't talk to me that much."

He was about to respond before getting rather rudely interrupted, "Hey, what are you two talkin' about over there?"

The Legendary Sannin turned his attention to the two as well, which made Kiba skeptical, what were they doing in order to be noticed? He noted how the girl was one of the Hyuga, and the markings on the boy's cheeks defined him as an Inuzuka. "Oh, so you're one of the almighty Hyuga? And I see you're from the main house- so the heiress, then?" Jiraiya's smile was warm.

Her gaze shifted to the counter as she shook her head. "Huh? So some different relation, I am assuming?"

Kiba looked almost sympathetic as she spoke, "The position has been shifted down to my little sister, b-by my father…"

"Eh, but why? Is your father some kinda jerk or something?!" Naruto rambled, he was too loud.

"Would ya shut up, Naruto? This isn't really the place for it, ya know. Just wait, jeez." Kiba's patience was wearing thin by the minutes he had to spend with him.

"Kiba!" He whined, "Ugh, fine. Let's talk about it later, then!" Hinata's eyes widened, would Naruto willingly listen to her story? Kiba was about to retort with something, but stopped when he witnessed Hinata's expression. Oh well.

It wasn't entirely bad, though. Naruto had managed to get the Pervy Sage to pay for their food, which was certainly a relief for Kiba's wallet. After that, he briefly talked to Naruto alone.

"Listen. Hinata still isn't doing well, so don't do anything rash, especially near her. Got it?" Kiba raised a brow.

"What are you, her body guard? Yeah, yeah, sure."

"Naruto; I'm serious. She's suffered enough alrea-." He was interrupted by Jiraiya walking out, who was muttering something (probably over his lost money), with Hinata following him.

"Hey, Pervy Sage, I'll be right back. Okay? You can go do your 'research' in that time, but be ready to train again!" Jiraiya more than happily obliged, which worried Naruto. He'd just have to deal with that later.

"What a sweet girl." The Sage mumbled while walking off.

"D-Do you want to go someplace quiet?" Hinata offered.

Naruto nodded, "Yeah, I can barely hear ya! We can go by the academy…no one should be there today." He was right. It was the weekend, no school for the children today.

All in agreement, they headed there. Kiba repeatedly had to explain to him that they were injured, and they had to take it slow. Hinata just smiled, trying to walk faster, then Kiba would discourage her and she'd slow down, then the whole thing would start over again.

But they did eventually arrive, and it was peaceful. After that though, it got a bit awkward. Hinata kept fidgeting with the hem of her shirt as Naruto looked at her.

"Hinata, you said you were an heiress, right? What happened?" Kiba wanted to hit him over the head for being so insensitive, but refrained. Instead, he paid close attention to Hinata, whose facial expression had changed.

"Y-yeah…it has to do with my family history…I-it's complicated, Naruto-kun." She looked down again, as if she were trying to conceal her presence by doing so.

He grinned obliviously, "I'll listen. Besides, I want to know what that guy's deal is."

"He's my cousin." She averted her eyes again, "We a-aren't on good terms because of our family history…My father's and his are twins, that's how we are related." Even Kiba didn't know this, so he listened closely, "M-My father was born before, so he was put into the main house, and Neji's father in the branch house. The branch house's job is to protect the main house…though; brother Neji is much stronger than me. I-I think that's why he resents m-me so much…" She paused momentarily to inhale slowly, "My father is Lord, so I was supposed to be the heiress…but I'm too weak…"

"Who says your weak?" Naruto asked, "Who can say you're weak after last week!?"

She smiled slightly, "There are many people in my clan who are stronger than me…like my cousin…and my sister…"

"They may be stronger than you, but don't ever consider yourself weak!" Hinata's eyes widened as she looked up at him, "if they are really stronger than you, then use that as an excuse to get better!"

Kiba hit him over the head, "Naruto! What did I say earlier?!" Naruto gripped his head, groaning.

Hinata smiled, though. It truly made her feel better, "You're right, Naruto-kun…T-Thank you."

The two boys turned around hastily to find her smiling, which made Kiba relax and Naruto grin. "Yeah, so get better! Then maybe we can train together…" He laughed, "And, I'll kick that Neji guy's butt. Okay?"

She nodded before breaking out into a coughing fit. Naruto watched as Kiba tried to calm her down, and remained in silent anger. Neji would pay for that.

That's why in the next 3 weeks, he took training a tad bit more seriously, and it may be why he expended the effort to drag his master back to the training fields each day. He always kept that image of Hinata in the back of his head- that symbol of strength. It helped him push himself further.

The night before the chunin exams, he couldn't sleep, not at all. He was too preoccupied with the fact that he would be facing someone who was even stronger than Sasuke tomorrow, someone who could literally kill you just by touching you. It was nerve-wracking; it was terrifying, in fact. But he would change Neji, he would save him from himself.

Naruto never went back on his word.

The next morning Neji awoke especially early for warm-up training with Tenten. Why had he chosen her? It's pretty obvious, she wasn't Lee and Guy.

They went through their typical routine of taijutsu, she quickly wore out. Not even a scratch had he got, which sometimes bothered her. It was just like battling against Temari- maybe she should invest with close range fighting styles?

"That's enough." Said Neji, he didn't want to wear himself out before the match.

She was panting, resting her hands on her knees for support, "Perfect, Neji." He would never admit it, but she often gave him the praise he often craved. "You're fighting against Naruto, right? I'm sure it will be easy…are you okay?"

He didn't face her, just simply nodded. "I'm fine. Let's go."

She bit her lip as she followed him, though, something didn't seem right. Although she had utmost confidence in him, she was lying about her thinking it would be easy to beat Naruto. This girl was anything but ignorant, and watched him closely. Though she doubted Naruto could win, maybe he had a chance.

Though, by the time Neji had finished training, Naruto had just woken up! Was he hopeless?

Hinata had agreed to meet Kiba on the training field in the morning. As she stood in front of the wooden post, the voice behind her still scared her.

"Hey, Hinata! Are you doing alright, now?" He was actually happy to have run into her; she was just the person he needed.

They conversed briefly; Hinata explained to him how she was beginning to like herself more. She even reassured him he could beat Neji.

"Ya know, Hinata," he began as he was walking away, "I used to think you were weird and gloomy, but, you know what? I really like people like you!" Her face burned red as he walked off, much to Kiba's questioning as he arrived. She quickly urged him to hurry there, and the two did.

As they arrived, the Chunin exams were just beginning, and fellow chunin were discussing Naruto's disadvantage. Kiba couldn't help but laugh at this, "I thought that too," he thought, "but if you're going to underestimate a guy like him, prepare to pay for it."

Naruto faced Neji who seemed to be overwhelmingly confident. Again, when the match began, he began with a psychological approach. Little did he know Naruto was the most stubborn, thick-headed kid in the village, and he preferred to settle things with fists- not words.

Hinata sat away from her father, who sat next to her younger sister, for obvious reasons. Hiashi even encouraged Hanabi to pay attention, for such a prodigy was rare, even in the Hyuga.

Naruto started with a typical approach- Shadow clone jutsu, which was a jonin technique, the one that 'defined' Naruto.

Once that was defeated, Neji continued pushing 'destiny' onto him. How people like Naruto were destined to be weak forever, how the only destiny everyone shared was death.

"I'm not good at giving up, you know?" He kept creating more shadow clones. It was troublesome.

The first time Naruto outsmarted him, everyone surprised, even Kiba was cheering at the top of his lungs. It made Hinata happy; maybe he could change her cousin.

Though, her worrying eventually overcame her and the physical effects began to show through her coughing.

Neji was able to regain the fight quickly through Gentle Fist Style: 64 Palms. It was unheard of, a branch member surpassing the main house. Kiba and Hinata watched in disbelief as they watch Naruto surely get beaten to his death. With all of his chakra points hit, he was almost not even able to move.

Hinata broke into another coughing fit.

"Damn." Naruto cursed, remembering how Hinata stood before him, even how Lee stood before Gaara in their times of weakness. That alone should be praised. To this point, Naruto was doing many things in order to get acknowledged around the village. People still looked at him wearily, or chose to avoid him, though some have warmed up to him. Not a person turned his back to him after he got up again, though. Neji looked at him with disregard one second, surprise the next. He noted how his eyes were the same as his cousins. Would he be another not to accept fate?

Hinata couldn't take it anymore, and couldn't help but to tremble as she coughed up the red substance in her hands.

"Hinata, you ok- Hey! You're bleeding!" He looked frantic as he tried helping her, and had no choice but to accept the help of a strange ANBU member.

Neji tilted his head, completely unaware of the events going on above him. "Continuing will get you nowhere; I have no grudge against you."

"Oh yeah? Well I do!" Naruto was still working on fixing his posture. "If you're so strong, why, with your eyes that can see everything, did you keep mentally attacking Hinata who was trying so hard to stand up to you? Insulting her, immediately deciding her fate like you're special. I don't know exactly what happened with your family, but people like you I will _never_ forgive!"

Neji's brows crunched up, "Fine then, I'll tell you about the Hyuga clan, how we're destined to hate."

Kiba hovered over the unconscious girl as the ANBU member was did something beyond his understanding; however, it seemed to help. This was happening as Neji explained in full detail the Hyuga clan to Naruto. It was hard to make sense of, especially for Naruto, who was a strong believer in equality. Neji offered a much better explanation than Hinata, though. Hinata was kept in the dark about certain things. It was a bunch of crap in Naruto's eyes. Only the weak would give up and accept their fate, not those who chose to go against and more so change it. After Naruto patiently listened and gained a better understanding, the fight continued.

"There's no way _I'm_ going to lose to a coward like _you_ whose always whining about destiny. I never go back on my word!"

Now upset, Neji faced him again, "Do you think you could possibly understand? Understand what it's like to be branded with a symbol you could never rid yourself of!?"

"Yeah, I can." He wiped the blood from his mouth, "So what? Do you think you're special? Guess what, Neji, you're not the only one! Hinata has suffered just as much trying to be her best, and you just ignore her like she's trash!"

Meanwhile in the stadium Kiba was knocked out alongside his teammate. No one knew.

_"Why do you go against destiny so much?" _

_ "I was once called a loser, too."_

Neji watched in what you can call sheer amazement as he was able to reopen his chakra points, and his facial expression almost changed to fear as he realized what he was doing. He was summoning the 9 tails. From that point, the battle was easily in Naruto's favor; Neji couldn't help but curse as he stared up at him from the ground.

"Ya know,I failed the graduation exam 3 times, all because it had my weakest jutsu- shadow clone jutsu." This time it was Neji's turn to listen, and Naruto almost felt happy, "Destiny this, destiny that, blah blah. You don't need to whine about stupid crap like that, because you're not a loser. Just like me."

Everyone cheered when he was proclaimed winner.

_Where is Hinata? Is she watching?_

Thoughts were racing through the Hyuga's mind as he was borne away by the medical team. His whole perspective on life was just proven wrong- he was just beaten by the weakest, biggest loser in Konoha. Him; Neji Hyuga, the one who'd surpass the main house. He was even further enlightened by his uncle, who came and willingly told him the truth about his father. Neji was naturally skeptical, but eventually made up his resolve to become stronger- to never lose to anyone.

To become free.

The Chunin exams went on, and things got chaotic quickly. In the span of the hour, Hinata had managed to get kidnapped, the Sand and Sound villages turned on the Leaf, and the Shukaku's jinchuriki, Gaara, was out of control. To sum things up, Neji's change of heart wasn't all just words, and for the first time, he began to see everything in a different life. Starting with his teammate, Tenten. She visited him, concerned about his sanity, and he willingly explained to her his change of heart.

She would have to thank Naruto later.

A team consisting of Tenten, Neji, and Kiba tracked Hinata, and they were successful. She was overjoyed to learn about Naruto's success and Neji's resolve, tears were shed.

Naruto, along with his team, fought Gaara.

Naruto was a boy who was deemed a failure throughout the village, yet, he never considered himself special in anyway. He no longer resented people out of this, and didn't create some ridiculous alternate meaning on why he was resented. He didn't plan to murder people out of it, in fact, he was destined to change people. It started with Hinata, then Neji, followed by Gaara, who was considered a friend. It was the beginning to his journey to figure out what love is.

Though the conflict resolved rather quickly, the consequences were severe, both good and bad. The 3rd Hokage's death was amongst these, along with Orochimaru's plans being delayed. This was accompanied by sketchy relations with the Sand and Sound, but other matters improved. What's ironic, though, out of the whole ordeal, Shikamaru was the only one to be promoted to chunin! Hah, he didn't even win the last rounds. It then occurred to Naruto that the rank of a chunin was not achieved by sheer strength alone, but rather by strategy, which Shikamaru excelled in. Besides, his battle was very heavily personally driven, that could've been it as well.

From then on, both her father and her cousin looked at her differently, almost as an indirect way of saying, "Keep up the good work."

Even once Neji offered to train with Hinata…, well it was more of his way of trying to apologize to her. He, like most males, had a hard time with words. She accepted willingly, wanting to enforce the good terms the main and branch houses were on. This time he took it slow, slow in order not to hurt her and for her to learn. She was noticeably improving, and she had a few things to teach as well. Hiashi watched them from afar, never imagining the day he'd see such a thing happen.

He smiled.

**I'm sorry for taking so long with this chapter. Thanks to Rise for inspiring me!**


	7. Sadness and Sorrow

"Lady Hinata, you have to relax and stay focused." Neji inhaled, trying to regain his patience as the two Hyuga face each other. His goal was to explain to her the benefits of meditating, in which he did quite often, especially after his reassessment of life. "Please, sit down." He could easily tell she was restless by the way she hastily followed his lead, and when she looked at him for further instruction. He sighed; even Tenten wasn't like this, so what in the world has gotten into his cousin?

"Brother Neji, will this help me become stronger?" The look she gave him was so innocent; he was tempted to flat out tell her yes. However, that wasn't necessarily the case.

"You will have to see for yourself. Meditation is about training your mind- not body, keep that in mind. There are many different ways to go about meditation, but in the end it is usually the same result. Of course, that differs on the person. I prefer sitting down in silence, and I think you'll have a similar preference. There are no prerequisites required; all you have to do is close your eyes and think." He paused for a moment, might as well answer any question she might ask. "And, no, you don't have to think of anything in particular. There are no boundaries in this training."

She looked at him as if processing what he had just sad before finally nodding.

Training of the mind, eh? This was a new concept to her, though all Hyuga undergo it at a certain age. She was still fairly young and thus considered naïve, which could have easily been why she was having so much trouble with it at first. It was just thinking. How hard could it possibly be? She focused intently until finding a suitable, yet intriguing question in which to think over.

What made her happy?

The first thing that popped up in her head was Naruto. To her, he was very the well the personification of goodness and happiness itself. Sure, he was impatient and stubborn, and sometimes he caused a lot of trouble for people around the village, but he never did it with a harmful or bad intent, after all, he was just a kid. Even before, when he was too young to make such decisions, people always discriminated against him. Neji always muttered how he was destined to be like that, probably in an attempt to cover up the fact he didn't know himself. To a child who didn't know better, destiny would be a concept hard to accept, for a child is always asking questions, thus, she never found it quite suiting to her. Hinata and Naruto were very comparable. They'd both often get ignored for something they could not comprehend, and they both hid that pain in attempt to be strong.

She often felt guilty, though. Here she would sit feeling bad for herself, whereas Naruto always stood back up; he'd always face the threat head on, and he would most certainly never give up. Hinata, in all honesty, hated herself up to the point with her fight with Neji. Although she faced horrible defeat and injury, she started to like herself more. For once she didn't run away or back down, she was even content with the thought of death. Furthermore, everyone was finally watching her; there'd be people to acknowledge she wasn't weak, that she wouldn't give up. Especially Naruto, she wanted to be just like him, and was ecstatic that he would cheer someone like her on.

"Neji." She said abruptly, breaking the silence. Unknowingly, 20 minutes had already passed. Time really does fly when you're so deep in thought. "What do you think of Naruto-kun?"

He opened his eyes then looked away briefly, as if thinking carefully how to respond. "Naruto…he's an idiot. He's immature and impatient, and he's loud and causes trouble." He faced her again, revealing his smile, "But, he's a good guy, he saved me from myself. I'm confident one day he could become Hokage if he really tried."

The joy she felt from hearing her cousin praise him could not be hidden, and it almost made Neji chuckle. "Why do you ask?"

"I…I'd just never thought I would hear you say something like that."

"Me neither," he admitted, "I'm more open minded, now. It's clear that he has that ability…to change people…" he drifted off midsentence before returning to his focus, "The incident between the Sand and the Leaf, do you know exactly what happened?"

She shook her head; she was unconscious for the most part. After she was retrieved she was transported to the hospital again, it was her father who guarded her that time, not Ko. She claimed that she was his precious daughter and did not want her to get hurt. She couldn't tell if he said that because he didn't want the Byakugan to get stolen or he really cared about his daughter.

"That kid from the sand village…I think his name was Gaara. He, like Naruto, holds one of the tailed beasts in him. Naruto managed to suppress him, and from what I heard, change him. Just like me." Hinata looked at him in amazement as he explained; could Naruto really do such a thing? "Anyways, Lord third Hokage's funeral is tomorrow, Lady Hinata, so perhaps we should get some rest early tonight."

"You're right." She agreed while standing up, stretching her lower back muscles before bowing slightly. "Thank you for helping me, Brother Neji."

"Lady Hinata…" Neji began, "please lift you head. You're welcome, and I'll see you tomorrow." He quickly bowed before walking in the other direction. She smiled.

_Brother Neji, you really have changed._

Rain pelted mercilessly the defensive land as the Hyuga departed, almost as if the village itself was weeping. It was undeniably fitting, however. When they arrived she assumed her place quickly. A single flower was symbolized to pay their respects with, Naruto watched as some sobbed.

As everyone held silence, Hinata peered at the giant stones carved into the heads of the 4 great Hokage.

Even they looked as if they were crying.


	8. Departure

**Hinata and Hanabi's mother's name was never released, so I am improvising with "Hikari" which roughly translates into "light". I find this very relevant to most of the Hyuga names, which usually have something to do with the sun.**

The Chunin exams left some genin changed forever, a prime example being Sasuke Uchiha. Just as he started to come around for once, to actually converse with his teammates, it seemed as if he suddenly receded- as if he was scared to get any closer. This often worried Sakura which made Naruto uneasy, though he still thought Sasuke of a huge jerk. Sure, they were friends now, more like brothers, though; he didn't have to be so mean all the time! Now that Naruto was a genin, things were moving extremely quickly in his life. Instead of striving for fun nearly every day he longed to take a break, but nonetheless was happy to accompany his master in the search of the fifth Hokage. Everyone, and I do not over exaggerate when I say everyone, in the village knew it was his goal to become Hokage, you can imagine his excitement when it was mentioned he bore such a striking resemblance to The Fourth. Then again, Naruto is extremely contrastable. They may have a similarity in facial features, but personality wise he much resembled a different, unmentioned shinobi.

Naruto looked up at his master, whom he called the "Pervy Sage". Hah, he thought him eccentric, but villagers who'd casually stroll down the dirt road would usually take a moment to take in such a sight. Where Shinobi supposed to stand out so much? Although the old man often got on his nerves, he couldn't help but acknowledge that he was a good shinobi. When the two were alone, they would often talk about things Naruto could never discuss with anyone, such as the Hokage's legacies. He was extremely interested in the heroic stories Jiraiya would tell him daily, they were truly inspiring. Although he found it a bit odd that, even though he claimed the Fourth Hokage was his apprentice, he almost never spoke about him. Even when Naruto asked (which was constantly), he would make an excuse such as, "Ah, I forgot. I must be getting old!"

But Naruto was also dense; he'd believe almost anything you would tell him. Jiraiya was certainly thankful for that. He also spoke great stories of Tsunade Senju- the legendary medical ninja, whose beauty would paralyze you. Naruto was aware of his master's high standards, yet odd tastes, so it's fair to say he doubted him, and he doubted him right.

The Princess (as he called her) was beautiful, there was no doubt about that (although it was some type of genjutsu), but she was mean, and to Naruto, totally unfit to be Hokage. She called him a brat and didn't want anything to do with him. How rude.

They stayed in a simple hotel that evening, Jiraiya explained to the best of his extent why Tsunade acted the way she did, although he didn't expect him to understand. As his master snored away he couldn't help but to stare at the ceiling, thinking about what it really meant to be a Hokage. He often used stories Jiraiya sensei had told him for reference or to back of his thoughts. Apparently, being a Hokage wasn't all about strength. It was about wits and strategy, it was about acknowledgement and kindness, Naruto sometimes doubted if he really had what it took, although, when other people doubted him, he'd often blow up. Why? He didn't even know himself. Maybe he was just tired for being taken for a joke; he just wanted to be more. He wanted to prove everyone wrong.

When the Akatsuki showed up in search of him previously, or more specifically, Sasuke's older brother in which everyone feared, and a fishy looking guy…literally fishy looking guy. He looked like a shark, who was apparently his accomplice? Naruto was just a tad bit freaked out. Their strength almost exceeded that of Master Jiraiya's. Almost. Things got chaotic fairly quickly with the arrival of Sasuke, this was something Naruto best not get tangled in- and he didn't.

Before they found the "Legendary Sucker", as they called her, Jiraiya sure taught Naruto the three prohibitions of a shinobi. Alcohol, women, and money, things a ninja should most likely avoid altogether, well at least according to Jiraiya. Hah, what a hypocrite, Naruto often thought, especially when, after a long time of searching for him, he finds him drunk with absolutely no money, and completely surrounded by girls! A student was just as hopeless as his master was. He quickly redeemed himself by offering to teach Naruto the legendary rasengan, though.

Naruto was an untold and natural prodigy; he caught on extremely quickly and was able to master jonin-ranked ninjutsu in mere days. The difference between him and Sasuke was Naruto didn't have to put in as much effort, or work as hard (although he did, which earned him even quicker results). A jutsu that took the great Lord fourth to develop and master 3 years took Naruto merely a week. Even more impressively, he was able to uncover concepts and shortcuts to such an unstudied jutsu. Anyways, he's even more productive and reckless when he is encouraged, which Tsunade gave him plenty of. Actually, to any other kid it would be discouraging, but to Naruto it was yet another challenge.

Who would know a genin could master it in a week? Not to mention defeat a criminal at the battle of the three sannin, which was the most awesome thing he's ever witnessed. Hah, he managed to gain respect of all sannin and get Tsunade's necklace, not to mention convince her to become Hokage.

Naruto was truly an amazing boy!

Hinata was training rigorously, too, sometimes even with her father. Although, everyone was joyous when the announcement of the inauguration of the fifth Hokage reached villager's ears, not to mention it was the legendary medical ninja.

Neji felt sympathetic as he saw his teammate's disappointment in what Tsunade really was. She had incredible abilities, there was no doubt about that, although…when she was reluctant on performing surgery on Lee, Tenten felt saddened.

When Hinata would take walks with her team, she would discover how unique they actually were. Kiba and Shino were polar opposites, but they both had distinct hobbies no one else could even compare too. She wanted one as well.

Things escalated quickly in the village. Sasuke eventually left, leaving Naruto, Neji, Kiba, Choji, and Shikamaru to pursue him, even Lee tagged along. The village could only wait, and everyone worried. Hinata had confidence in them, though, she knew Naruto, Neji, and Kiba had the strength to do whatever they set their mind to…which why she was so surprised when they failed. Could you imagine the young girl's worry when her teammate was admitted to the hospital, along with his dog, her other teammate on a mission, he cousin in a near death state, and the boy she admired covered in bandages?

The first she visited was her cousin, who was naturally sleeping. He actually looked peaceful, so she didn't wake him. Quietly taking her leave, she left for Kiba, who was awake. He grinned when he saw her, yet blushed out of embarrassment at the same time. "Sorry you have to see me like this. We kinda got our butts kicked."

She gently placed her hand on his arm, nodding, "I understand. You did your best." Just as Kiba did, she stayed with him until he was able to walk, which wasn't too long. Kiba was strong, and so was his dog. They even visited Naruto once, which didn't go to well…meaning she fainted. It would be the source of Kiba's joking and Hinata's embarrassment for years to come.

By this point, Naruto nor Hinata were no longer ignored, and they were both on a course heading for the path of a fine shinobi. Although, the knowledge of a terrorist organization is after you would kind of speed up your progress. Indeed it was sad news to hear that Naruto was going to depart for training for who knows how long? The two of them were walking together once, going to report data to the Hokage, when Naruto was complaining how agonizingly hot it was. It was true- neither of them was wearing their coats.

"I want to go swimming." He whined. It wasn't a bad idea, actually, swimming did sound nice.

She smiled, fanning herself off with just her hand, "I'm not very good at swimming." When she didn't hear a response from her loquacious friend, she turned around to find him staring at her in shock.

"You're a shinobi, and you don't know how to swim?!"

"N-No! What I mean by that is…uh…I can swim, but that's all. I'm not very g-good at it…since we usually don't even have to." She felt her face burn, she worded that totally wrong.

"Ahh, I get it!" The smile returned to his face as he began to walk again, "Okay, then, I'll teach you how to become a better swimmer after we turn this data in!"

She was thankful for the warm weather; it gave an excuse for her face to face to be so flushed. She couldn't just reject him, and didn't have a reason to, other than the fact she was fearful she might faint again. They both agreed to meet 'there', a place which Naruto went often- it wasn't publically announced a swimming pool, however, it has been deemed clean and alright to go in, it was also decently sized. They'd meet at sundown, giving them enough time to eat and change. She would try and convince herself, it's just another type of training, but usually to no avail. She was a nervous wreck, but for what reason? Was it seriously that normal to get so worked up over going swimming with a boy you liked…alone?

She arrived there before he did, which wasn't surprising at all. Although what she wore, which consisted of a loose fitting shirt and shorts, would be something normal for Sakura or Ino to wear, to her it was much revealing- and uncomfortable. She set her things down by a tree and tried organizing them before looking at the water, which was rather deep. It was intimidating to her, who was so used to being able to just walk upon it using her chakra.

"Hey, Hinata!" The voice rang through the area, making her nearly jump out of her skin. Turning around, she would see the shirtless Naruto grinning as happily as ever. She already felt lightheaded.

"N-Naruto…H-H..Hello…" She quickly averted her eyes to her hands, finding it much more comfortable not to look at him.

"Are you gonna go swimming in that?" He was referring to her overdressing, a habit she had. She quickly shook her head while reluctantly removing her shirt, though not her shorts.

She was relieved to see he wasn't paying attention to her; it would have made her even more self-conscious. He was already splashing in the water, probably having the time of his life in there. It made her happy, too.

The giggling mess looked up at her, who was staring into the water- probably assessing it. The setting sun illuminated her silhouette, and it wasn't until then that he truly realized just how beautiful she was. Her skin was so white, not a scratch on her (was that why she wore a jacket?), and it wasn't an unhealthy shade of pale, more like milky in a way. It was in perfect contrast of her dark hair, which tinted blue when hit on a certain angle by the sun's rays. Naruto had never noticed this before, was he oblivious or was he unable to see it? Was anybody able to see her beauty?

When she noticed the absence of his loud laughing, she peered down at his smiling face. Was he smiling? He didn't even notice. She quickly got in and was unexpectedly not shocked by the water's temperature, which she expected to be freezing. It was actually rather warm, most likely from the geothermal heat. She didn't particularly like getting her hair wet, it got in her face and made her look silly, though, Naruto was no different. It made her giggle. She couldn't help but note the swirly pattern on his belly, what could it possibly be? Something to do with the nine tails?

"See, Hinata?" He showed off his impressive swimming skills as he dove deep into the water, returning shortly after. "It's kinda like a test of endurance!"

She nodded and dove herself. It was hard to see, the water was clear, but her eyes wouldn't adjust. She was working against the buoyant forces of water as she maneuvered her way throughout the deep, wide whole, and she considered it amazing. A ninja was capable of holding their breath out much more than a regular villager, however, she was new to this kind of stuff, and resurfaced quickly.

She inhaled sharply as Naruto laughed. She loved his laugh. "Great, isn't it?!"

She couldn't help but agree.

For the remainder of that evening, she felt her shyness fade away she was so at ease. Even Naruto noticed it. Instead of the annoying stuttering and quiet voices she was laughing with him, she was grinning and enjoying herself. To be honest, she really didn't learn the slightest about swimming better; they were having too much fun to even talk about it. Before they knew it, the sun had set, and the moon shone brightly in the night sky. Hinata looked up.

"They're beautiful…aren't they, Naruto? The stars." She kept afloat using her feet.

He didn't respond at first, instead he got on his back to get a better view, "Yeah…I watch them almost every night, ya know…?" He trailed off, preoccupied, before quickly returning to the present, "Hinata, how is Neji?"

She turned to face him again. "He's a lot better now…He trains with me a lot, and talks to me more, now….Thank you…Naruto."

"Hahahha! I told ya I was influential!" They both laughed.

She wanted to explain to him how much he's changed her as well, how she liked herself so much more because of him. She wanted to thank him, she wanted to follow him, she wanted to catch up to him and walk along his side. Although, she couldn't tell him, not yet; she was still too weak. Besides, it was getting cold outside, and late; she would have to hope she wouldn't be past curfew. He helped her get out, and they both thoroughly dried and dressed. He even walked her home, how gentlemanly.

"We should totally do that again, Hinata!" He was grinning, although it soon dissipated, "Although…I guess we can't…"

"W-What do you mean?" She was overcome with fear, why would they not be able to see each other?

He paused for a moment, deep in thought, "I have a lot of training with Pervy Sage soon! Don't worry, though...we'll go swimming again! Haha!" They were arriving to her home, and he waved at her. "Good night, Hinata!"

She smiled as he ran off.

An hour later an exhausted Naruto lay on his bed, showered and fed. He was really happy, though, and felt completely at ease, unlike when he was with Sakura. She'd always insult him, or yell at him, or hit him. With Hinata it was all laughs, he'd feel like he could tell her everything.

"Why are you wet? Where in the world have you been, Hinata?!" Haishi seemed rather distressed.

"I-I'm sorry, father…I was-."

"Hinata, you must inform me or Ko if you are going to be late, you have early training tomorrow. This is for the Hyuga's sake, you are my daughter after all, now get to bed. Now."

She nodded, gathering up every single ounce of strength she could summon. How painful it was to be given that look by her father of all people, she was always doing something wrong in his eyes. As she stood, she heard her father mutter something like, "Hanabi would never do something like this." That did it for her. She hastily walked to her room, shutting the door rather loudly, something very uncharacteristic for her.

She didn't bother with showering; she'd just do it in the morning. She disregarded her damp clothing and quickly wrapped herself in the white sheets of her bed, just wanting to be alone as she cried. However, she didn't even get luxury of that.

"Hinata?" It was her father obviously, and when she didn't answer, he walked in. She didn't see him however; she was determined to stay away, at least for tonight. He walked to the side of her bed, she felt restricted suddenly. "Hinata, my daughter, show your face. That's an order."

She hesitantly pulled the sheet down, sitting up, but she still didn't look at him. She averted her eyes downward, thinking how this extremely contrasted from how much fun she had today, she only wanted to be away from here, away from her father- the source of her worries, even now. He sat down on the edge of her bed, genuinely concerned, "Did you get hurt?"

She shook her head, how dense her father was.

"Please tell me what is troubling you, Hinata." Her silence answered him, and he heaved a sigh. How he wished for her mother to still be around, she was always so kind and gentle and great with kids, he was quite the opposite. Hiashi was often concerned with the clan, which was very understandable. He was the leader, after all. However, can you simply disregard your daughter because she wasn't worthy? He wasn't that cruel; he did love his two daughters dearly, although he had yet to show it. "I apologize; I should have listened to you."

She still refused to look at him, though she did speak, "You only care about the clan…a-and Hanabi. Why?"

"Hinata, look at me." She obliged, scared. "You must understand that I am this clan's leader, and only so hard on you two because you're the next generation of the main house. However, you and Hanabi are my precious daughters, and Neji, my nephew." Her eyes filled with tears again, and she did something much unexpected. She leaned forward, resting her head against his arm.

"You left too soon, Hikari." He thought, looking down at his daughter, "She is so much like you, I'm sure you would be proud."

When their mother was still around, it was almost like Hiashi was a different person. He was much kinder, gentler, although when she passed away everything changed. Maybe it was because Hinata bore that resemblance that he often disregarded her for something close to worthless, although he couldn't help but to see her mother in her, especially that night.

"I have a few things to learn about being a father, not just a leader." He placed his hand gently on her back. He even stayed with her until she fell asleep.

Training was cancelled the next day, and she was allowed to sleep in. What a relief- she definitely needed it. Furthermore, she was an absolute mess when she awoke.

Naruto slept in as usual.

The next day was relaxing for the two of them, although they didn't get to see each other. Hinata spent more time with her family, and Naruto hung out with Konohamaru and his friends, teaching him his new and improved sexy jutsus.

He conversed with Master Jiraiya about training; it was a matter of time before it was their time to depart. However, he agreed to a few more days in Konoha. It would be years before he'd be able to come back, enjoy a bowl of ramen…laugh with his friends… Jiraiya knew the feeling all too well, actually, explaining his sympathy towards him. Sasuke was always on the boy's mind, which couldn't be healthy. Although never spoken, he constantly beat himself over the fact he wasn't able to bring him back...failing Sakura, failing everyone. Not to worry, though, he made his resolve clear to catch up to him, and he never wavered in such things.

"Oi, Naruto! What's up?" It was Kiba, who'd happen to be walking Akamaru. This was shortly after Naruto finished his training session with Konohamaru, and was admiring what Konoha had to offer on the fine evening.

"Ahh, nothing, I'm just probably gonna go home after this…or maybe I'll stop at Ichiraku! Hehe! What about you?"

"What does it look like?" He snorted, Akamaru barked.

Naruto looked away, "Ah, shut up! I was just tryin' to be nice, ya know?" They walked in silence for a while before Naruto spoke up again, "Hey, Kiba, what's Hinata like?"

"Ugh, what? Why do you wanna know all of a sudden?" He looked skeptical.

"You're on her team, right? So you should know a lot about her! She's so quiet, so I dunno a lot." He scratched the back of his.

"What? Do you have a crush on her or something?" His smile widened as Naruto's face turned red.

"No, stupid! She's not suited for me…I have Sakura." He was lying. "If you're going to be stubborn and not tell me, then fine!"

Kiba started laughing. "She's pretty simple, really, but I guess you really are just that oblivious." Kiba was well aware of her long standing admiration for Naruto, and respected it, although it _was_ fun to tease her. "If you wanna get to know her, go talk to her yourself, she'll gladly talk with you. Welp, I gotta go home for dinner. Mom'll kill me if I'm late. See ya!"

How rude, that Kiba, he was always so misleading. Oh well, maybe he'd talk to Hinata later.

However, he never got the chance to considering her various missions. It was saddening when Jiraiya informed him they had to leave, although he readily agreed. He'd come back stronger, a different and better person. He also made it his priority to find out more about Hinata once he got back; he'd take her swimming again. Hinata also promised to use the time he was gone to catch up to him, and everyone in the Leaf village was slightly saddened when he left. It was almost as if it was incomplete, as if something large was missing. Perhaps it was the absence of loud laugher in the streets every morning, or the grinning face everyone expected to see at least once throughout their week. In the time span he was gone; Shino and Kiba would be more rigorous on her in training, same with Neji.

"So, Pervy Sage, what kind of training will we be doing first?" Naruto asked as they headed out the village, Jiraiya was already annoyed.

"Didn't I tell you not to call me that? Besides, be patient! We just left the village! We still need to get to our destination." He sighed, thinking about it.

Naruto looked up, "Where are we going?"

"You'll see." He responded, "It's about a day away on foot, so not too far. Just keep on your toes and everything will be fine."

Naruto nodded, not sure if he completely understood, but, he did develop a strong trust for his master by now, which would only be further continued. He could only imagine the adventures they would have for the next few years, and it made his stomach jolt knowing by the time it ended a terrorist organization, otherwise known as the Akatsuki, would be after him. He finally had gained the respect of most people who would otherwise resent him, only to bring more trouble later on, how he thought life was unfair. However, he had much to look forward to as well, such as that bowl of ramen (he often motivated himself with this), or seeing how much Konohamaru had matured, or the progress Lady Tsunade had mad as Hokage…or the promise he made to Hinata about going swimming again, and how determined he was to find out more about her.

"Yeah," he thought, "I'll definitely get through this, because I have so much to look forward to!"


	9. Naruto's Absence Part 1

** Alrighty, guys; here is my little update for all of you. First off, thank you for reading until this point, I respect you for being able to bear with me until now, and admire your patience. From this point on, I will be straying more and more from the canon storyline (although it will still be my base, they will still be motivated off the events that have happened in the story line). I also apologize for some grammar and spelling errors, I usually reread my chapters twice before publishing but some things manage to get past me. I have little time to write, and when I do it's usually at 2am! Haha…**

** Anyways, I would like to quickly go over some things in which'll be featured in the next few chapters. I've recently developed a probably unhealthy obsession with Nana Mizuki, who, if you did not know, is Hinata Hyuga's Japanese voice actress, and a largely known singer in Japan. Coincidently, I've had somewhat of a head canon that Hinata sings, as you will see will be expressed. I do not think Hinata would be so broad and dynamic, even if they had the same voices. So think of her quiet as usually, and higher-pitched.**

** Also, there will be slight NejiTen from here on out. If you do not like it, you'll be able to get through by skimming through it, or skipping it. However, it is plot relevant so I highly suggest reading it. That is all! Enjoy. **

**Momo**

Jiraiya was not kidding about training being rigorous- not by a longshot! Naruto often finding himself striving for a break, but his master kept coming at him with new things. He couldn't complain, because this was basically what he was asking for so long. All he could do was keep taking him on, keep fighting; so he did. His master could not deny that Naruto was quickly changing with every training session. There were many different types of training they would go over, from chakra control, ninjutsu, getjutsu, and taijutsu, to the nine tail's chakra. The two grew fond of each other over time; he was a suitable master, just as Naruto was a suitable protégé.

Naruto quickly discovered how uncomfortable a life like that, without a warm bed or prepared ramen, would be. Instead of a warm bowl of ramen he had to make do with whatever the wilderness would offer him, same with the bed. Not only was he deprived on food, but sleep as well. He couldn't believe how happy and carefree his master seemed every morning, like he's been doing such his whole life, and he kept insisting to Naruto that'd he'd eventually get used to it. Naruto really had no choice but to believe him, and to hope he was right- which, he was. Sadly. It took a while, but eventually he didn't mind the multitude of insects or animals sharing the ground with him…the trick was to not think about it. Another thing he had to block out constantly was the nostalgic thoughts he'd often get about his friends. It was tough, knowing you wouldn't see them for another few years (and that's if both you and they are still alive; the life of a shinobi is rather short), but he often used that as motivation to get through training or just another night in the woods (or whatever terrain they might be on).

Jiraiya once noticed his unusual quietness when they were sitting near a campfire, readying themselves for sleep. "Hey, Naruto." Naruto looked up; he wasn't his usual bright self. He looked tired, as if the life was drained from him. "Tell me about your friends back home."

That's all it took, Naruto was smiling again. "My friends? Like from the ninja academy?"

"Yeah, sure. Anyone you consider a friend." His master smiled as he leaned back, preparing himself to listen.

"Hehe, okay!" He looked up at the stars, thinking. "I'll start with…Sasuke and Sakura. Sasuke was a jerk for a long time, and I hated him up until some point…Then when we got on the same team, I actually started liking him! He was my friend…or brother." He grinned, "Though now he left…but I will definitely get him back. Even if it takes me the rest of my life!"

Jiraiya raised a brow, "And how do you plan to do that?"

His brows scrunched up, "First I need to complete my training, and catch up to where he is! Then I'll get him back. You better believe it!"

Jiraiya sighed at his naivety; it only reminded him of himself with Orochimaru. Perhaps he would have a change of mind. "Okay, go on. What about Sakura?"

"Hehehe…Sakura-chan." He grinned; it was rather creepy. "She's so cute!"

Jiraiya sighed; Naruto was exactly like him, sadly. He would become obsessed with someone totally out of his reach, and fall in love with someone else who'd never return such feelings. "What about that Hyuga girl?" He replied, "She seems nice if you ask me."

Naruto looked at him in total shock momentarily; he thought he was talking about Neji. Why would Naruto think of Neji when "Hyuga girl" was mentioned? We have yet to find that out; Neji would have probably killed him if he found out Naruto ever thought such a thing. "Ohhh…You mean Hinata? Phew…Well, she's really quiet, ya know? But she's a good friend and fun to be with!" He thought for a moment, "although…she…she doesn't hit me like Sakura-chan, and she's really nice to me. I dunno…!"

Jiraiya laughed heartily. "You're conflicted now, huh? That's fine, you're young!" The young man pouted as his master patted his head.

"It's not that…eh. Never mind. I don't need to be thinking of this stuff right now! I'm gonna sleep. Night!" He quickly shifted to his sleeping bag, burying his head in it. Great, now he didn't know what to think. Sure, he was almost 14; thinking about girls was only natural for a boy that age, although in training? It's not exactly what he wanted, but he really did never think about it. Was he just convincing himself he liked Sakura this whole time? Sakura was always mean to him, and chose Sasuke over him, and she'd always tell him he was wrong or couldn't be as good, until recently. Recently she's put his faith in him because it _concerned _Sasuke, not because of him; or at least that's what he thought. It got him partially upset before he decided to let it go. He would consider both of them equal comrades, and focus on his training. Then, when he finished, he would truly get to know Hinata more, for both of their benefit.

Back at Konoha things were going rather smoothly. Hinata's rigorous training had begun with Neji, her father even helped. She also spent much more time with her sister, who was maturing quickly as the heiress of the Hyuga clan. Hinata silently envied her before learning it was of no use; instead she praised her younger sister. They usually weren't allowed much time with each other due to clan matters, however it seemed as fall approached, they were actually acting more and more like sisters. Like Hinata, Hanabi was quiet (she usually didn't have a reason to talk), and she was rather intelligent. At a very young age, her sister was able to surpass her, although now she was catching up. In less than a year, Hinata became a chunin with Neji, she was starting to prove her strength. Previously she even developed a jutsu using her clan's techniques, something that could surpass other jutsu. It was all done by herself, through her own hard work.

Her teammates watched as her father's cold glares turned into approving smiles over a rather small course of time. Gradually she had been granted more freedom to go out and about rather than stay cooped up at home all day, and even night. Her curfew had been moved to give her more flexibility and she'd often take advantage of it, training in the daytime and spending time alone, or occasionally with her friends, at night. Sometimes she would do things alone she would never show anyone else- such as sing. It became sort of a hobby for her, she learned how to vibrate her voice and become more vocal in hopes that it would sort of help her shyness. It did, to some extent. She would have an easier time speaking in front of a majority of people, and would learn to project herself. Kiba and Shino never knew about her hobby until one evening where they overheard her singing to herself in the training fields. It was very mesmerizing, almost alluring. They both concealed their presence for a while, wanting to savor it, although they were eventually found out. Although Kiba encouraged her, she was extremely embarrassed by it. They didn't understand why.

One morning, after spending the majority of it admiring various kunoichi, Hinata decided she would grow her hair out. She would willingly accept the hassle that tagged along with it and whatever other disadvantages for a shinobi; they could usually be solved with a simple hair tie. Besides, she loved the way they suited older females, the way it would fall down their backs. Her father approved, stating it was her life and she had the freedom to choose her appearance, she's never heard that from him before. Kiba , Shino and Kurenai have noted this a few times, with questions like, "aren't you going to cut your hair, Hinata?", or, "your hair seems to be getting longer.". She was happy they were noticing, in a way it could have been an attempt to be like her sensei, who she often went to for advice. She went to her for things she could not so easily speak about with her father, from general to personal; Kurenai was always there to give her advice. It was very comforting. Kurenai Sensei was extremely aware of her infatuation for Naruto, and often felt sympathy for her. It was saddening to see her student always get turned down for some stupid reason, but had confidence that Hinata would either eventually get her wish to be with Naruto, or eventually, with enough thought, move on. However, it was probably unlikely. In the 2 years they've been student and teacher, her feelings never waved for him, but then again she was a child, how could she possibly know what love was?

Hinata found out one day that Hanabi was fond of Naruto. She was unaware, but apparently Naruto would sometimes help her with errands for the clan. That was sure nice of him. Now did she not only have her cousin's approval, but her sister's as well, her father however was still stubborn. He did not dislike him anymore, nor did he shun him; he was not stupid. After witnessing him beat Neji, the pride of the Hyuga, how could he look downcast on him? Lord Hiashi did approve of her seeing Naruto, as it was proving much to her benefit. After becoming a chunin, she was becoming extremely agile and proving her strength more often. It was now that Hanabi was no match for her, and she would give even Neji a hard time in sparring. Neji would often smile at her now, praising her, for he believed it was now his job to help her become the absolute best she could be.

Hinata would admit, her teammates were rather peculiar; in the absence of their teacher they would often get into arguments (which were more or less one-sided), and solve it in weird ways. Usually it would be through some compromise or challenge, but if she had to pick, the oddest one would be when she stumbled upon them having a tickle fight. Yes, a tickle fight. Who'd know Shino was ticklish? For Kiba you'd expect such…but Shino? And wouldn't it be kind of weird, touching him like that? Not because they were both growing boys (yeah, definitely not that), but the fact that he had bugs covering him from head to toe? Hinata would eventually learn not to question it, she would simply walk away. So would Kurenai…and everyone else in the village. Keeping on topic, sometimes Kiba would tickle her for his own amusement. It was cute, after all, until she threatened to use gentle first on him, that is. He didn't try again for a while after that.

She also got closer to Shino over the period of time Naruto had left, for Shino always complained he was utterly ignored…it was true. But surely it wasn't anyone's fault, I mean, who'd want to approach a guy in such a mysterious outfit? Not to mention the pack of insects on his back. It was just kind of creepy. Sometimes people would ask her how she would stand it, in which she would shrug; it's just something you get used to. He wasn't mean, just odd, and rather unapproachable. Misunderstood, if you wish to put it that way, but he was fairly kind, although blunt and he spoke oddly. It was fine, she was patient and would listen, and to her surprise he would listen back. He wasn't like others in a rush all the time; Shino was a very patient, mature boy. She admired that about him.

Under Jiraiya, Naruto was learning a lot about peace and how the ninja world really worked. It was sad, really, almost like his motives were being crushed. However, it was the truth of such a cruel world they lived in. Naruto eventually figured out he was naïve, but that wouldn't be enough to stop him, would it? Absolutely not! Naruto was thick headed, and even his master couldn't drill what he considered to be that nonsense in his head. However, Jiraiya was a strong believer in peace, even if the shinobi world would not allow it. It was one of his previous students that inspired him so much, a boy, or in fact a trio in which he was confident they have become strong leaders. Nagato, Yahiko, and Konan; otherwise known as the Ame Orphans were three of his disciples. Nagato was inspiring, trudging through life through pain and hate, being able to overcome it and work to find a way to peace, he couldn't help but to think of him when he saw Naruto's smile. They were almost identical in that way, however, personality wise Naruto would most likely resemble Yahiko. Not only did they look alike, but they were both strong leaders who were rather impatient and thick headed, and had a large ego which often got in the way.

"There's just too much hate in this ninja world." Jiraiya would constantly say, explaining how he thought it was his duty to do something about it. He would also tell Naruto that it would be his role to take that job on if he wasn't able to complete it- in which Naruto willingly accepted. He had a similar opinion about the world, which was heavily influenced by his childhood. You could easily list the flaws contained in such a world starting by the people who inhabit it and the way they thing. People, unfortunately, are extremely arrogant. They look at things through their benefit and no one else's. That's how many wars begin- through the disdainful snobs in which people consider the higher-ups make a decision in which will only benefit themselves as an individual, not even considering the people who blindly put their faith in them. Knowing this was sickening to some people, although most kage were different. When they looked in the mirror they were often reminded that they represented thousands, sometimes millions of people, and the decisions they made affected every single one of them. Sometimes it was too much to handle, knowing you are responsible for that many lives. This is one of the reasons why Jiraiya did not accept the position when it was offered, although it was mostly because he did not think himself worthy of such a thing. His life was full of failures; he couldn't bear to be known as the highest rank of all.

Naruto, however, was very different. In the beginning Jiraiya and Naruto could have been similar, but Naruto would definitely stick to his goal. His reasons for sticking to it, though, would eventually change. He was a kid, and his journey was just beginning. He had yet to experience the sheer hell the life of a shinobi would offer, he was only preparing for it. Many shinobi go insane, a lot sociopathic. Although, being a sociopath in this world wasn't necessarily a bad thing. It was easy to crack under the pressure of many rules and regulations, added onto protecting your comrades and succeeded in the mission, otherwise you'd most likely be shamed. However, who _was _there to shame Naruto? It's not like he hasn't received it all his life, and anyways, did he ever follow rules or regulations? If anything, he made up his own. This was viewed okay by so many because it seemed to work, and besides, he put his comrades above all. That was fairly evident.

When Naruto turned 14, it was obvious he was starting his chain of growth spurts; he could barely fit into his orange suit. Honestly, Naruto really didn't wear the suit in training during the time he was gone. Jiraiya often urged him not to, for an orange jump suit fitted for a ninja shouldn't exactly be encouraged, right? Naruto didn't mind, because for the most part it was hot and sticky. He stuck to a T-shirt and shorts. His voice was slightly deepening, and of course it often cracked, much to Jiraiya's amusement and Naruto's embarrassment. His master often reassured him it was completely normal, and would eventually go away.

Similar things were happening to Hinata, in fact, although it was a bit more embarrassing. It's not like she could easily discuss what was happening with her father. Kurenai noticed this and often helped her. By now her hair was to her shoulders, and it looked very pretty. Sometimes when Kiba was bored he would play with it, which Hinata found odd, but cute at the same time.

By now Tenten was 16, being the oldest of the original genin in the village. Neji was still 15, although he was noticeably spending more and more time with his teammate. Tenten had grown into a fine woman. Neji finally found more fitting clothes- they were traditional Hyuga attire. They didn't seem suffocating like his previous outfit. Although they were slightly big, it left him growing room. He was definitely tall, and more or less broad, very attractive. He fully grew out of his angst, and found a whole new reason for living. Seeing his grinning sensei emotionally hugging Lee, while Tenten would huff in annoyance was enough to make his day. It was funny.

I won't stretch the suspense any further- yes, they were in somewhat of a romantic relationship. They were very curious with physical affection as much as they loved the kind or loving words they'd sometimes mutter to each other. Neji found it extremely easy to converse with Tenten, explaining why he'd so often stay at her apartment extremely late, or sometimes not even bothering to come home. There was one day when they were at her apartment; she was working on undoing his headband. Underneath, of course, was the mark in which defined him a branch member of the Hyuga clan. She would tentatively run her fingers over the mark, as if she was showing some sign of sympathy.

"You know," he began, reaching out to grab her hand. "I used to think this mark defined me, I used to think it controlled me…I now often realize how wrong I was. Thank you for staying by my side, Tenten."

She returned his gaze briefly before smiling, leaning up and pressing her lips against his forehead. "You're so cute, Neji." Seeing his confused expression, she chose to explain further, "Of course I'm going to stay by your side. Now shh." She captured his lips. Most evenings went like that with those two.

The time that wasn't spent with Tenten would be with Hinata or Hanabi, usually. It was his job to mentally and physically prepare them to become a suitable heiress and main house members. When meditating, Hinata often questioned herself why she was chosen to be in the main house. Genetic wise, Neji was Hanabi and Hinata's half sibling. He carried the blood of main house, so why be a branch member? They all longed for the day, however, that they wouldn't be identified as branch and main. Neji's previous beliefs were true in some perspective- people were either discriminated or discriminated against. Although, now he found it to be ridiculous. People shouldn't be discriminated, for they were simply ninja.

**I am sorry, this update took longer than usual…and it was still shorter than I planned, but that's probably become I am really rushing. The next few days will be similar. Unfortunately I have a social life, and my friends do want to see me! Haha…but I promise, I will make the next chapter lengthier. I've been having good luck previously and thus, I am extremely inspired, so I have many, many ideas for upcoming events. Bear with me until then, and happy Independence day, my fellow Americans! **


	10. Naruto's absence Part 2

**This chapter took much longer than usual, and for that, I'm sorry. I've been overwhelmed by animes to watch, haha, but on top of this I've been writing short one-shots in which I've published, so feel free to go look at them. I've been given a lot of time to think, so I've become more confident in my writing abilities, and have the next few chapters planned out. With that said, I still don't mind opinions! Reviews motivate me, so don't be shy to post one, haha. I hope you enjoy!**

There was this annual festival in Konoha- a big one in which had everything ranging from a variety of food to fireworks. It was something that only came around in the summer, and most shinobi got a break (except ANBU members). Kurenai was attending with Asuma, which wasn't suspicious at all, and Shino didn't care for such things. That left Kiba and Hinata to attend by themselves, and as soon as they arrived Kiba knew it wouldn't be that much fun if Hinata was going to keep up with the constant nostalgic sighing. By now, Akamaru was fairly large; at least he was no longer able to rest on his shoulder or head. The dog barked, Kiba looked at him briefly before nodding and turning his attention to his rather depressed teammate.

"Hiiiinata," He whined, "what's wrong? You keep sighing and it's getting annoying!"

"I-I'm sorry, Kiba-kun." She apologized, looking surprised at first. She must of not have thought she was being noticeable- or perhaps she didn't even notice it herself. These days she often found herself lost in thoughts, which wasn't exactly a good thing. "I'm just remembering last year…and before that."

"So you mean when Naruto was here?" He raised a brow. It was fairly obvious she was talking about him, because she related nearly everything to him. Even when almost a year passed since he left, Naruto was still constantly on her mind.

She averted her eyes, trying to remain close to him and not bump into the multitude of people, "Not just Naruto-kun."

"Sure…" He rolled his eyes, patting his dog's head.

She flustered this time, "Kiba-kun! Really!" That initiated his laughter, hinting he was really joking, "It's just…that…we all used to have so much fun together…"

"What? Don't think we're gonna have fun this time?! Fine then, I'll prove you wrong!"

"Kiba-kun, that's not what I-!" She was cut off by him dragging her across the festival grounds, running into various people. She took her time to apologize while he just urged her to hurry up. She was not used to such, and it took time adjusting, especially when Kiba wouldn't stop shoving various foods in her face. Her attempts to push him away usually didn't end well, for he'd always respond, "Let's have fun, Hinata!"

"Are you having fun yet? What, do you want me to act like Naruto, too?" Now he was just being silly, "Hiiiinaaataaa-chaaan! Let's go play!"

Her face turned completely red this time. "Kiba-kun! Stop it!"

"Oh?" He fluctuated his voice to be rather high, "So do you not want to play? Let's go eat ramen then, believe it! Believe it!"

"Kiba!" She whined again, "Stop!"

He broke out into laughter, some people stop and questioned him momentarily before realizing it wasn't worth their time. To make it worst, he wouldn't stop laughing. When it got to the point where he had tears in his eyes, Hinata had to contemplate whether or not to hit him over the head. She was thoroughly embarrassed as she leaned down; burying her head in the soft, white fur of Akamaru. The dog licked her arm, more than likely a sign of sympathy. Sympathy from a dog.

"Oh," he chuckled, trying to maintain control of himself, "…Oh, oh, Hinata! Ahh…that was hilarious…I'm sorry- really…" He wiped a tear from his eye, crouching down. They could only hope people didn't trip over them, although they were in the side of the street. So, most likely it wouldn't happen, but you could never be too careful when there were energetic ninja such as Lee and Guy within a few miles radius. When she didn't raise her head, he had to suppress laughing more. "Come on, Hinata…I was just playing with you!"

"You're mean." She muttered, lifting her head just slightly. She _hated _when he did that, tease her concerning Naruto. It was a very delicate subject to her, especially as the days past on. Previously expressed, she has become extremely nostalgic, longing for the past, almost a year has pasted already.

"Oh, Hinata, you know I wasn't being serious…okay, maybe I was. But it was hilarious! Now come on and get up before you get trampled." He stood up and held his hand out. She tentatively took it, hoisting herself up. They took a moment to breathe- look around for a moment. The sunset gave the background an orange tint, which was very pretty. People were even livelier than usual, and it brought a smile to your face to see them conversing and laughing. Porch lights were turning on as impatient people flood the streets, causing a commotion, but, no one seemed to mind.

"Don't look so gloomy." Her older teammate said as he peered over the multitude of people, when she looked up at him in confusion, he smiled slightly. "Yeah, you look sad. Listen, I know Naruto isn't here, but he's probably somewhere training his butt off to come back here, and then he'll attend the one of these yearly festivals with you. How does that sound?"

Her eyes widened, that was probably the last thing she'd expected Kiba to say. "R-Really?" Her lips curved upwards slightly, "Thank you, Kiba-kun. I'm sorry…if I've been gloomy…I don't mean to be…"

He patted her back. "Don't worry 'bout it. C'mon, what do you wanna do?"

"We should get out of the way, I think…then…I don't know, I'm full right now, so…"

"We can play games!" He grinned, "If only Shino were here, eh? I'd force him to do something flamboyant…" They both started laughing at the thought. "But, Kurenai-Sensei should be here. We may run into her, you know? But we don't want to interrupt their date, now would we?!"

She continued laughing, nodding once more. It made him quite happy to see his teammate in such a carefree mood, for it was rare.

"Ugh…dammit! Where is he?"

It was none other than Naruto Uzumaki. He and his master have come across a thief who stole their camping gear, which was vital to them. It pissed him off to know that someone would be insensitive enough to do such a thing. Usually he would have taken it a bit less harsh, but he was quite hungry, not to mention tired. Then someone comes barging in, taking his only means of food and sleep; do you blame him for getting upset over it?

"Shut up, Naruto!" Jiraiya shushed, also impatient, "Don't give away your presence. Calm down and we'll find him!"

Naruto groaned, looking around. The sun had already set, making it a lot more difficult than it actually was to find this guy. It sucked not being a sensory ninja.

Suddenly a kunai whirled pasted Naruto's head, causing him to jump. "Get down!" He heard his master say frantically, yet in a hushed voice. He complied. They heard some rustling, then what faintly sounded like "run!". That's all it took for Naruto to be on their trail, and ignoring Jiraiya's orders.

"Get back here!" He gritted his teeth while navigating through the forest, jumping from tree to tree.

"Naruto!" Jiraiya was right behind him. It was dangerous to take on an enemy in the dark, even if that enemy probably wasn't a skilled shinobi. Naruto was aware of this, for he always drilled it into the boy's head. So why was he acting so reckless? Well, you could say it's just part of his personality. He was almost 15, restless and impatient, like any other adolescent.

It wasn't long until Naruto caught up with the mysterious man. At this point, they were all thankful for the moon's rather ominous light, although it could be seen both as an advantage and a disadvantage. The rustling of the leaves as they battled could of easily gave their position away to other enemy shinobi, Jiraiya worried, although it was obvious he didn't have much to be concerned over. The poor man was beaten to the point of immobility quickly. Naruto stared down at him.

"Where's our stuff?!"

The strange man only smiled as a 'poof' could be heard, signalizing his disappearance. A shadow clone; that was classic.

"…Sha-?! Aghh! Where is he?!" He flustered, only to be interrupted by his master's hearty laugh.

"Ahh, he really got us, didn't he, Naruto? Oh well!"

The fact that he was acting so calm about this annoyed the blond to an extent. He just got away with their food and camping gear! Sure, they had the bags on their backs. That, however, only consisted of a ration, various ninja tools and other equipment; it would hardly be enough to get them through the night. Not to mention in the north it could get quite cold, even if it was summer. "What are ya talkin' about?! Now we're going to freeze! Starve!"

The sharp pain following his exclamation was from Jiraiya's palm coming in contact with the back of his head. "Calm down, will you?! There is a town nearby." He muttered something incoherent as Naruto's face lit up. What an annoying kid, he thought.

"Well, you didn't tell me that! Come on, let's hurry! It's already dark and I want to get a lot of sleep. I've been tired lately…ya know?"

Jiraiya eyed the kid before sighing. "Guess you're right. Come on, kid."

The sun was almost fully set in Konoha as Kiba and Hinata made themselves comfortable on a hill side, giving them a good view of the Hokage monument. Kiba struggled balancing various items in his hands- mostly food and other junk they wasted their precious money on. It was fun being so carefree, and without the supervision of Ko or her father, Hinata felt very unrestricted. Akamaru settled behind the two, tired out as well, although content.

"You can lean back on him if ya want." Kiba said, referring to the white-haired what some people would consider a beast as he leaned back. "He's like a pillow!"

"O-Oh?" She quickly got what he meant. Akamaru was really soft, and comfortable, no wonder Kiba always practically slept on him in missions. "You're right…"

"Of course." He smirked, nibbling on one of the various snacks they bought. "Want some?"

She shook her head politely. She was full, and besides, as a female and as a shinobi she had to watch her weight. She's usually on a restricted diet; however she did have a few weaknesses when it came to food, like anybody would naturally have. Cinnamon rolls, she had a huge infatuation with cinnamon rolls. They were sweet and sticky- bliss she did not get to enjoy often. Because of this, they have become her favorite.

"Well," He sighed. "The fireworks should start soon. That's always the best part!"

She agreed. Nostalgia was no longer felt; in fact she was thoroughly tired by now. It had to take tremendous effort on her part to not fall asleep. Kiba helped, though, bothering her with various things.

"I'm gonna be 15 in a week!" He chimed. That was random, but then again, Kiba was a random guy.

"Brother Neji's going to be 16 in a few days." Was her reply. Their birthdays were 4 days apart, so it was easy to remember.

He snorted, "Hey, don't switch this to that jerk!"

"Kiba-kun!"

"Okay, I'm sorry, but seriously. He can be mean, even now." Akamaru whined underneath them. "You want some, boy? Here." Kiba generously shared his food.

"Neji has changed a lot; though…give him some credit…okay?" She did not want to argue, especially Kiba. Thankfully the canine-lover was nice to his teammate, although if it were Shino, the topic wouldn't even have been brought up.

"Alright, Hinata, I'm sorry…I'll just try and stay away from him. I guess." He huffed stubbornly, she giggled.

And that's when they started- the fireworks. Colors of blue, red, orange, purple, and many more flickers throughout the sky. They were both in awe as the light shimmered throughout the dark sky, loud noises of "bang!" and "boom!"s following short after.

It was truly inspiring.

The next day Naruto woke up with a headache. Last night they walked 3 miles to the nearest town and got some motel which left them sleeping on some cheap pads lied in the middle of the floor. Not to mention the other residents weren't too considerate, getting drunk and singing all night.

If there was a god, Naruto thanked him that his master was not yet awake. Usually he was enthusiastic about training, but today he'd put it off as long as he could.

Oh, how he longed for a hot bath. It was almost officially a year since he left Konoha, and he learned hanging onto the thoughts of what he now considered luxury would do nothing to benefit him.

Sometimes he couldn't help it, though. They both didn't have much money, that was due to the fact that they weren't doing continuous missions to earn that money. Instead they got by through doing work for random villagers; simply helping out an elder carry his groceries could get you a long way in some foreign villages.

Occasionally Jiraiya would surprise Naruto with some new food to try, or take him to a bath house, or simply buy him a bowl of ramen (even though it wasn't Ichiraku's, it was still pretty dang good!). It could be considered an award for such tremendous effort, or maybe Jiraiya was determined to jam every foreign experience possible into him. Regardless he could never deny he was thankful.

It took him awhile, but he eventually abandoned the idea that he could get more sleep, and slowly sat up. He was sore, like every one of his muscles in his body got a thorough beating. Of course he was used to this by now; still, it was the least bit pleasant. The place they were staying wasn't too pleasant, either. The wallpaper was beginning to tear off, and some tiles on the floor were rotting. Occasionally a rat or bug would scuttle across the floor, but was it really all that different from sleeping in the forest? Heck, at least they had a roof over their heads!

He ran his calloused fingers through grungy blond locks that needed a trimming. He'd even had a bit of facial hair by now, that sure freaked him out. His stomach growled, and he wanted to as well. He was starving, and he needed a bath.

"Ryo" He groaned, "I need Ryo." He knew they were low on money, but finding something to eat couldn't be that much in this part of the country.

Grabbing his coin purse, Gama-chan, he managed to fish out just enough. He quickly scribbled out a note for Jiriaya in case he did happen to wake up, stating he was in town looking around. With that he grabbed his bag and was off.

The first thing he noted when he stepped outside was the lack of shoes. Crap. He'd probably need those.

After returning outside, this time with shoes, he had time to properly assess where he was. Last night was a blur, kind of like the going to a party and coming home drunk blur, but memories of him tiredly trudging through the hallway eventually resurfaced. "Stupid thief," he thought, "I'll get him back one day."

As tempted as he was to find somewhere to bathe, his hunger always won. It didn't take long for him to find some half broken food stand, and he couldn't help but accept the quality of the food, which sucked, was equivalent to the amount he spent, which wasn't a lot. He willingly accepted it, as it filled him up, and went to find somewhere to bathe.

He was doubtful they'd have any cheap bathhouses, and if they did he was reluctant to witness the condition of them. However, the town was on the edge of a forest. It wouldn't be that hard to find a stream or river to bathe in. He settled for that.

The blond noticed that as he descended, people eyed him rather foully. He'd stick his tongue out or make a mocking face in return, and they'd quickly look away, yet he couldn't shake the feeling of uneasiness. It was more comfortable once the trees started to grow thicker, leading him into a maze of complete forestland.

"Water, I need water." He groaned, climbing up a tree. It was much faster with the aid of chakra, although if Jiraiya were there he would have said something like, "No chakra! You're only using mere strength in my presence!" He groaned thinking about it.

"No short cuts in the ninja world, I suppose." He rolled his eyes, reaching the top. It offered a great view; he'd just had to remember which direction town was again. It was hard to spot, but there was actually a large stream just south of his position. That was convenient.

"I gotta be careful." He kept reminding himself as he leaped from one tree to the next. "Those weird guys may still be out there, although if they are…"

His lips formed a creepy smile, as if he were thinking of something perverted. He quickly realized this and shook his head. "I really don't want to look like Pervy Sage. That'd be horrible."

Once he arrived, he made sure of it to scout out the place a bit. "Gosh, if only Neji or Hinata were here, then this would be a lot easier."

He paused for a moment, realizing he just spoke of Neji and Hinata. Now that was surely something he hadn't done in a long time- mention his friends. Heck, even right now he'd be happy to see Neji Naruto missed them so much.

"Oh, and Hinata…" He sighed, realizing how ironic it was that he was daydreaming about her over his teammate. "I need to stop this before I start missing them even more."

He stripped off his shirt, throwing it to the side. His body was more muscular and toned now, like it really mattered. That was pretty normal for a ninja, even for the ladies. It was a relief to get out of his clothing, though, and could only imagine the fresh ones waiting for him. Jiraiya also promised that once Naruto had finished growing, he would buy him a new shinobi outfit, though, he encouraged him to go with the typical flak jacket, and Naruto wouldn't have any of that.

When he stepped in the water, it sent chills up his spin. It was a bit different from swimming at home; the deepest it was here was maybe 2 and half feet (60 CM), and was very chilling. Cupping his hands, he was able to drench himself.

Again, he was thinking of Hinata, how they went swimming together once. He was reminded of his resolve to get closer to her once again.

"Sorry Hinata," he muttered, grabbing the little soap he had left out of his bag. "You'll have to wait for me for a little while. Just don't forget me!"

He chuckled as he lathered the soap into his hair, realizing that he was once again talking to himself. It was something he often did these days, or sometimes he'd think of something weird and how his friends would react to it.

"What if I came home right now?" He wondered, "Hmm…Well, Sakura-chan would probably be happy, either that or she'd find some reason to be mad at me! Then Shikamaru…" He scratched the back of his head, "he's kind of unpredictable sometimes. He's too smart for my good."

He rinsed his hair, going through each friend once again.

"Okay, seriously, I need to stop this…I'm only making it harder on myself! Plus I need to go back to the motel so Pervy Sage doesn't come looking for me." With that said, he stepped out, shaking out his hair. He didn't exactly have a towel, so it was the best he could do as he put his boxers on.

"Well look who it is, the blond-haired brat."

Naruto nearly jumped out of his skin as the harsh words echoed throughout the area. Quickly turning around, he discovered that they were indeed the thieves that he fought last night. Did they tail him?

"Oh, so you've come for a rematch?!" Naruto smirked, but that was before he noticed the backpacks they carried on their backs. They were his and Pervy Sage's! They sure were cocky.

"Just hand over your stuff, kid." The man in lead smirked. There were about 4 of them, each wearing some sort mask to cover the top of their face. They all had dark hair, Naruto noted, and were a bit taller than he was.

"Yeah, you wish!" He stuck out his tongue once again, reaching in his back pocket to grab a kunai. Problem was- he didn't have a back pocket. He was practically naked.

"Lookin' for something, kid?" The man smiled, holding the blade in front of him. Before Naruto had time to react, the kunai was quickly thrown at his feet, causing him to jump back. That left an opening in which was used to snatch his bag, and with that the enemies were running.

"Oh, hell no." He huffed, already chasing them. Not only did they take his last means of supplies, but Gama-chan, too!

"Get back here!" It was louder than he expected it to be, but nonetheless he was serious. This would surely be troublesome, however, due to the fact that he was a close combat Shinobi fighting someone who was running away. He had no choice.

"Shadow clone Jutsu!" Making the seal, he was able to amount to an enormous mass of Shadow clones. This was due to his unusually massive chakra, which always came in handy.

With them, he was easily able to take two of the targets out. It was 2 against 1 now, even with the other two moaning on the ground, the odds were easily unfavorable.

"Okay," He thought frantically, nearly shaking from the adrenaline rush. "Each has one of our backpacks, and the leader guy has my money as well. So I'll need to split them up somehow, and take one of them out at a time. Damn! I don't have any smoke bombs…nothing, so what'll be a suitable distraction?

"I'm a ninja for crying out loud!" How did he manage to overlook that fact?

He quickly weaved the signs to make another Shadow clone, making it easy to separate them. It was obvious that they weren't very skilled Shinobi, if they _were_ shinobi, due to the fact a simple genin could beat them.

This nitwit, as Naruto called him, was defeated simply with Rasengan. It would seem that he _overestimated_ him. That wasn't a bad trait to carry in battle, you could never be too careful in this world.

He quickly picked up the bag he was holding, which sadly wasn't his. It was Jiraiya's. That was still good, though, right? At least he had a variety of tools to work with, although he would just have to go without clothing for a little while. He quickly examined the worn out bag, checking if everything was in place. Some of the things they've obtained were fairly expensive, especially the souvenirs.

"You really think a shadow clone's gonna stop me, kid?" There was a sudden, sharp pain in the back of his head, causing him to go dizzy as he fell to his knees. How did he not sense his presence?

What the thief hit him with was beyond Naruto, but the fierce aching pain wouldn't subside as it seemed to pulse throughout his entire body. It was beyond him to think rationally at this point, or even move with that said.

"I'll be taking that." He felt the pack being lifted off of him against his will. "You're pretty troublesome, and I don't doubt there'll be more of ya, so I'll go ahead and kill you right now." The man smirked as Naruto turned to face him. His vision was blurred from the impact of the blow, but he could easily tell the man was intending to kill him with a blade of some sort.

"Am I really going to die here? Damn…I can't…I still have to bring Sasuke back to the village, become Hokage…talk to Hinata…" He felt the presence of the 9 tails become stronger in him as he begun to lose consciousness, and could only hope it didn't use this chance to completely take over.

"W-What _IS_ that?!" was the last thing he heard, notifying him he really was going into Tailed-Beast mode.

"RASENGAN!"

The man was suddenly pushed forward with great force, straight into the tree. Behind him revealed the Pervy Sage- Jiraiya. The old man sighed, looking at the state Naruto was in. At that moment he was thankful he tightened the seal the other day, it would have been a disaster if he didn't.

"They really got you, huh? What did I tell you about going off on your own…" He pulled a Chakra-Suppressing Seal out of his pocket, pressing it against the younger boy's forehead. The Nine-Tail's cloak quickly receded, leaving Naruto to collapse at his feet.

Great, now Jiraiya had 4 backpacks and 4 unconscious thieves plus Naruto to deal with. "This outta be fun."

Naruto awoke once again with a splitting headache. "Where am I…?"

He didn't dare move, however when he opened his eyes he couldn't help but notice his master looking determined over a floor spilt with his notes and 'research'.

"What happened, Pervy Sage?"

"Ohh, so you're awake?" Jiraiya smiled, looking somewhat relieved. "It's a long story, really. You should eat first, your body needs it."

He couldn't help but to agree as he sat up, noticing he was fully dressed now. He could only recall battling with 3 of the thieves, but, what happened after that…?

Jiraiya handed him a cup of water and bowl of rice, and explained as he hastily gorged himself. "I'm not too sure what happened, but when I woke up and you weren't there I already knew you were up to no good. Even with the note, you have a tendency to not follow what you say."

Naruto smiled sheepishly, gulping down water.

"Anyways, it wasn't hard to follow you. All I had to do is ask, 'have you seen a dopey kid with wild blond hair around here?' and they pointed me to the forest. After that, you made enough noise I'm sure any shinobi within 5 miles could easily determine your location. Although, when I found you…" He cleared his throat.

"Yeah? What happened?"

"You were in Nine tail's mode, and 3 out of the 4 thieves were severely injured. I managed to take out the 4th and suppress the Nine tail's chakra, also got those guys to jail. Where they belong. However, I gotta thank you…if you weren't so reckless, we wouldn't be able to recover my research notes!"

Naruto chuckled. They both spent the rest of the day relaxing. Naruto was quick when it came to healing- so he'd be ready to train most likely the next day. The remainder of day was spent talking. Despite the headache, it truly was nice.

The next surprise in his life was when he turned 15.

It wasn't big, though he was starting to feel more mature. His perspective on life was starting to change, and he began to realize that he couldn't get everything he wanted by getting in people's faces. He was beginning to look like an adult and people would treat him like an adult. It made him happy.

Hinata's birthday was special. What surprised everyone is that it snowed on that day- it almost never snowed in Konoha.

Her younger sister, Hanabi, woke her up. She was now 9, almost 10. Hinata sometimes couldn't believe it; time really did pass by quickly.

"Father wants to speak to you." Her words were spoken quietly, but she seemed very sincere. At first Hinata thought she was in trouble, but the honest smile her sister gave her calmed her.

"Okay. Please tell him I'll be out shortly."

Hanabi nodded, carrying out her request as she walked out of the room. Hinata noticed her steps seemed to be lighter, as if she wasn't dumped with so much responsibility.

She stood up. Everything was more comfortable today- her room was warm, and she felt energized, and more importantly, she felt happy.

She walked, quickly peering at herself in the mirror. Her hair was now past shoulder length, and she was beginning to thin out more. It made her smile as she stripped her clothing, changing into proper ones.

"Maybe he actually wants to wish me happy birthday?" She rinsed her face, the cool water waking her thoroughly. "That would be a first…but, father has changed, too." She brushed her teeth, and then quickly brushed her hair. The subject was eating away at her, so she made haste as she walked down the hallway into the main room.

She was greeted by her sister once again and her father.

He actually smiled at her. "Happy birthday, Hinata."

For a moment Hinata didn't know how to react. It was so utterly anticipated, yet at the same time unexpected, it caught her completely by surprise.

"T-Thank you, Father." She averted her eyes, looking somewhat shy. She hasn't acted like that in quite a long time.

"I need to discuss something with you today, please come this way." Before she could say anything, he was already heading to the conference room. She had no choice but to follow, feeling slightly faint as worry overcame her.

He assumed his position in head of the room, Hinata respectfully sat on her knees, awaiting his addressing.

"You are now 15, correct, Hinata?"

She nodded politely.

"Then, I believe you're old enough to know a few more things about our clan- our family. Are you willing to listen?"

She thought for a moment- what kind of business was he talking about? "Of course, Father."

A smile returned to his face. "Okay, then let's go somewhere a little more comfortable, shall we? This room is stuffy." He stood up, signaling her to follow. Despite the questioning in informality, she followed as told. They eventually ended up in the family room, where they both took a seat. She couldn't deny it was more comfortable there, but at the same time it was a bit odd.

"The Hyuga clan is changing rapidly- the tension between the main and branch houses have almost dissipated." He began, "and, I want your input on this."

Her eyes widened considerably. "M-My input?"

"Yes." He stated, "So I'd suggest you'd think about it for a few days. Considering you are like your mother, you have probably inherited those peace making qualities of her…" He smiled, as if he was remembering something pleasent. "That's what I really wanted to discuss- your mother."

Her face lit up. "Mother?"

"Yes. Do you remember her at all?" He sighed.

"Of course…" She drifted off into one of her many memories she had of her, the biggest one of her being pregnant. The whole idea of that- another human being growing inside of you- scared Hinata a lot. Her mother would often reassure her it was normal, and told her that one day, when she's with the man she loves, it would happen to her as well. Even to this day she was still uncomfortable thinking about it, but was sure that it'd become something of natural. Her mother promised.

"She was a very kind woman, just like you. I've come to realize that trait is not a weakness, but an advantage."

"A-An advantage…?" She stuttered, trying to compose herself. "How so…?"

"As I said, relations in the clan were once very sketchy. You, Neji and Hanabi are going to be the ones to change this clan completely. That I am sure of."

Her face lit up as she looked up, she couldn't believe what she was hearing.

The source of her insecurity, her shyness, her constant sadness and sorrow, was her clan; more specially her father. To hear that it'd all be willing to change- it was enough to bring her to tears.

"I've been thinking it over, and I've concluded I will continue your training as heiress to improve your leadership skills. Neji and Hanabi will be assisting with this, thus it'll be both a benefit towards you and the clan. Do you understand?"

She nearly jumped up out of excitement and joy, yet at the same time she felt as though she were going to burst into tears. It was something she wanted for so long, and here it was- her father's acceptance of her. "Yes, I understand."

He relaxed slightly. "I am fulfilling our old wishes."

She responded by tilting her head, leaning forward slightly. "'our…?'"

He nodded. "Your mother was aware of the complications of the clan, and was certain you and Hanabi would be the ones to change it. Until recently, I did not understand what she meant. I was strictly concerned with following the clan's rules. Now look at me, I'm training someone of the branch house the secrets of the main." He regained his composer, looking his eldest daughter in the eyes. "We mustn't discriminate against those who were suppressed from otherwise being good. That is what I have learned through you and your cousin, Hinata."

She wiped her eyes, muttering, "Thank you. Thank you, Father, for understanding."

"My daughter, there is no need to cry." It was relatively calm on his part, although if it were concerning something more serious there would be no doubt her father would continue being stern with her. Albeit he was attempting to be a better father, he was still a clan leader, and when situation called for it he wouldn't hesitate to look at his daughter in such light. "Let's go now, your sister and cousin should be waiting outside."

She nodded, rubbing her face against her sleeve as she stood up.

"Before, however, there is something you must receive."

She looked at her father, who was holding some sort of cloth. She took it reluctantly, unfolding it. A darkly colored traditional Hyuga-styled robe, although it looked slightly big.

"It is something passed down to the heirs/heiresses of the Hyuga. It's large for your size, but it will be fitted properly later."

"It's very soft…" She noted, "Thank you so much, Father. I'll put it on now."

He smiled slightly, patting her head. "We'll be waiting."

She quickly disappeared into her room, shutting the door behind her. It was way too much to take in at once- her father's truthful words, his praise and her mother. She didn't change. She sat down and cried, and they all were aware.

"You look nice." Was the first thing she heard as she stepped into the main room. She used a spare obi to fasten the robes around her waist; however, the whole thing was still quite large overall. She didn't mind the fact she had to lift up the cloth as she walked; she liked the robes, too. She felt like a true Hyuga.

"Thank you." She smiled bashfully, fidgeting with the sleeve.

Neji smiled genuinely as he witnessed his cousin's usual acts of shyness. Hanabi approached her with an amazed expression, admiring the eggplant-colored robes.

"Can I see?"

She nodded; her sister delicately ran her fingers through the material. "It's really soft."

Neji watched in amusement as the two sisters conversed. Behind him stood Hiashi, who was peering out the window.

"What will you do today?" Asked Hanabi, already knowing the answer.

"I promised Kiba and Shino-kun I would see them today."

Her sister nodded understandingly. Hinata's team was everything to her.

It was a few hours before she actually headed out. It was relaxing having tea with her family, but in all honesty she missed Kiba's obnoxious voice and Shino's inaudible muttering.

That's why she couldn't help but grin when she heard, "Happy birthday, Hinata!" in the distance as the young boy ran up and embraced her, nearly smothering her.

"Yeah, happy birthday, Hinata." It was Shino, who was taking his time approaching her.

She giggled, squirming slightly, "Kiba, I can't breathe…"

He chuckled, tightening his grip. "Ya can't breathe? 'Cause I'm hugging you!?"

"Yes!"

"Okay," He laughed, "What's the magic word? Huh?"

"Please…?"

Shino sulked in loneliness as he watched his teammates goof off. It was rather sad.

"It sure is cold out today, huh? It's even snowing, though it's not a lot…" Kiba looked at his dog as it rolled around in the snow, seemed to be enjoying himself.

"Yes." Shino agreed. "I could not bring most of my parasitic insects, that's because…many of them aren't immune to the cold weather."

"Does that mean you can go on missions until the weather is warmer, Shino-kun?" Her voice had slight worry in it, seeing as though they may be without one of their team-members for a while.

"Well, that could be the case. That's because we are all sensory ninja who would be recruited ofte-."

"Get to the point, Shino!" Kiba interrupted, annoyed.

"Okay, then." He responded patiently, well aware of his tendency to obsess over small details. "If we are recruited on a mission in a cold area- yes, I will still attend, though I'd be at a disadvantage."

Her expression was calm as she spoke, reassuring him gently. "We'll be here to back you up, Shino-kun."

He simply nodded.

"So! What do you want to do? It's your birthday!"

She blushed shyly, looking away. "We don't have to do anything special because of me…I already had fun this morning…"

Kiba tilted his head, intrigued. "Really, at home? What'd ya do that was so fun?"

She looked down, her voice becoming softer. "I'll tell you guys later."

Kiba's facial expression changed briefly before nodding. "It's alright." Shino simply nodded.

The rest of the day the spent goofing off, like they usually did. Well, except Shino; for the most part he watched them like usual. Don't get it wrong though, Shino wasn't _always_ left out. Although, it was almost like he was made to be a third wheel.

Secretly he envied Kiba, but he would never say it. At the same time he could find Kiba's reckless behavior annoying. Hinata was okay- she thought things through and acted upon those thoughts, and it was fairly easy to collaborate with them. Hinata was always sure to include him, though, so it was nice. The whole idea of having friends would overwhelm him, but, the concept over all made him happy.

That day turned out to be a nice day.

After that, rigorous training with Hinata once again began. Kiba and Shino were noticing a large difference- she was becoming much more asserting, stating her opinion on strategies and discussing on how to make it better.

She was able to perform 8 Trigrams: 32 Palms, though reluctantly. It was disheartening she was not able to go up to 64, and here Neji could go to 128. Her newly found confidence did not waver, as she was still able to perfect the vacuum palm.

Winter passed by quickly, and as summer rolled around the corner she began visiting the place her and Naruto used to swim together. It reminded her how his return would come shortly, and excited her greatly.

Hinata was no longer a little girl. Many people would refer to her as beautiful, even though it was not her intention. She was curvy, an admirable feature of most woman, and had long blue-tinted hair. She wasn't rude or mean like other kunoichi, with that said, she still possessed royalty and strength. She could have easily been considered 'a perfect girl' by any passerby.

Naruto had grown up, too. He had learnt to better control his emotion and impulses, not to mention his change of attire looked much more fitting and mature. It was nearly 3 years of eating questionable foods, sleeping in the lowest of conditions, training day in and day out, but, it really paid off. His efforts left him appearing very muscular and broad.

The one thing that didn't change from either of them was their smiles.

"I'm home." He sighed as he stood under the humongous gate, admiring how Konoha had changed. He was instantaneously mesmerized by the familiar scent, how happy the people seemed as they carried on their normal lives, walking down the street, the way the sun would shine down on everyone as if some sort of guardian. Jiraiya laughed heartily, overwhelmed by Naruto's sheer happiness.

He couldn't help but sprint in, a large grin plastered on his face.

"I'm home!"


	11. Realization

When news of Naruto's return reached Hinata's ears, she was overly-ecstatic. The bad thing was…he was already sent out on a mission.

"What?! So soon?" He chuckled as her smile dissipated into a look of disappointment. "Did you see him at all, Kiba-kun? Or…is it just a rumor…?"

He shook his head. "It's real alright, confirmed by Lady Tsunade herself. I didn't see him, but he should be back soon."

She brightened up quickly at the idea of seeing Naruto again. There was so much she wanted to tell him, so much she wanted to show him. "Would he even listen, though…?" She questioned herself mentally, suddenly feeling herself overcome with worry. "He might have even forgotten about me…"

"Cheer up, eh?" She felt his fingers ruffle the hair on her head, causing her to break from her thoughts and look at him in annoyance. Her eyes immediately softened when they met his, though. They were as careless as usual. "We'll go see him together once he comes back!"

She suddenly forgot about how he just deliberately messed up her hair, slight hope returning to her. Naruto wasn't the kind of guy to ignore people. "O-Okay."

"Are you guys forgetting someone?"

Oh great, they forgot again. Poor Shino.

"Ohhh, no! You too, Shino. We were saving you for last 'cause…'cause you're the best!"

They managed to avoid Shino's sulking that day.

0o0o0o0

Naruto had to admit, the last thing he excepted when he returned to the village was news of Gaara becoming Kazekage.

It took him by surprise at first- soon after he felt envy and jealousy, only to be accompanied by pride and satisfaction. Gaara and he were the same, initially. Both were feared and rejected, shunned and despised; they both were Jinchuriki, and that was reason enough to be overwhelmingly happy for his friend to become a Kage, it even gave him reassurance that his dream was not as hopeless as many people tried to convince him to be.

It was understandable that he was extremely upset upon hearing his friend got kidnapped when he first arrived, ultimately making it his duty to go and retrieve him. Besides that, he was genuinely shocked at just how much his teammates had really changed.

Tenten was more mature, and it seemed as if she was able to put up with Gai-Sensei and Lee more than she used to. Her choice of attire was rather intriguing, yet, at the same time very appealing. It much resembled Neji's in the sense that it allowed her to be both agile and flexible in her movements.

Now if he had to pick someone who had changed the most, it'd definitely be Neji. Not only did his choice of clothing seem much more appealing, his attitude changed largely as well. He was very calm, but he did appear to get slightly overwhelmed when it came to people worrying over his wellbeing. His hair was also slightly longer, which was traditional of the Hyuga clan. Even Naruto knew that (which brought him to question why Hinata kept her hair short?)

If there was one person who didn't change, it was definitely Lee. Not his clothes, not his hair, not even his brushy eyebrows. He still remained the flamboyant, energetic, hot-blooded adolescent they've always known him as. That was fine though, in Naruto's eyes. In all truth he would have been disappointed if Bushy-Brows were to change at all.

Sakura was different as well. She most definitely shaped out- her forehead didn't seem so large anymore. Not only that, she excelled in her medical capabilities, not to mention she could easily send Naruto flying with no effort. As noted by Jiraiya, she certainly closely resembled her master.

Naruto had to admit, the fact that he bore such a great impact on somebody else's life left him questioning himself. It made him feel immensely happy, and now Gaara was rid of his 'curse'. The One Tail was extracted at the cost of his own life, and was retrieved by the cost of another. They were all very thankful.

"Is it my father's curse? " The auburn-haired male contemplated, "Or perhaps my mother's wishes?"

Regardless, he could always find reason enough to carry on when he witnessed the determined look in his now rival's eyes. Not only were they determined- they were fearless. Furthermore, when he saw the cheering faces of the many villagers whom settled in his village, it also brought out some hidden determination within him. It was a large reminder that the Akatsuki was now targeting them, and Naruto wasn't too far behind. He's been preparing for 3 years to hold his own, but his training was far from over. He still couldn't properly suppress and control the demon within him, and it could easily take over his body. Not only that, he still had much collaboration techniques to perfect with the Toads Jiraiya had become acquainted with.

He wasn't even concerned with that as they returned home, nor was he concerned with the fact that his teacher was incapacitated and had to be kept in the hospital for 2 weeks. He was only focused on the fact that he would need another teammate to find Sasuke, and he really didn't care who.

Hinata had just left her home for a mission with Kiba and Shino. It was B-ranked, so she wasn't too worried, although she was a bit sad that she wouldn't be able to see Naruto. The mission lasted a week, and it was simple scouting and mapping. They caught many missions like that, as they were considered the most useful team in Konoha.

When she heard Kiba's loud voice in the distance, it didn't surprise her. She couldn't help but to wonder who he was arguing with, though. Most likely Shino, but, when she drew closer, she quickly realized it was definitely not Shino he was arguing with. It was the boy's voice she's gone way to long without. Naruto. Kiba was arguing with Naruto.

She allowed a gasp to escape from her longs, more audible than she intended it to be, as she pressed her back against the fence. She waited so long for this, almost three years, yet she found herself extremely nervous. Her face flushed, and she swore she could hear her heartbeat as thoughts raced in her mind.

"Hinata? Is that you?"

She felt her body go completely rigid as she turned to see his face right in front of hers. She was never good with close bodily contact.

"Why are you hiding? Hey, Hinata?!"

She fainted.

"What did I do?!" Naruto couldn't help but to question himself. It wasn't the first time she did that. He's hugged Hinata before, and he's held her before when she became scared or injured on different missions. It always felt like she was about to collapse, if not she already had fainted. Was she allergic to him?

"Oh great look what you did! Hinata?" Kiba sighed, crouching down. "I hope you didn't hit your head."

"She still does this?" Naruto asked, lifting her up below her neck and knees.

Kiba sighed as Naruto walked her over to a tree. "Not since you got back."

"Hmm…" He lied her down gently, resting her head against the tree. He was surprised slightly by how long her hair had gotten. It was really pretty.

"Anyways, seriously! You have Akamaru, just let me bring Hinata or-." He looked back at Shino, who was sulking at being forgotten. "Just let me bring Hinata!"

Before Kiba had the chance to respond, Naruto had already ran over to Hinata.

"Don't say anything and come with me!"

"'don't say anything and come with me…?' Ehh…?"

She fainted again.

When she came to, Naruto was replaced with Kurenai-Sensei. Disappointing, but expected. She was smiling, crouched down to her level as she examined her wellbeing. "Are you alright, Hinata?"

She felt an awful throbbing pain in her head, though she doubted it would render her abilities. "Y-Yes, I'm sorry."

Kiba started laughing in the background. "I knew it! First time you see Naruto and-."

"Kiba!"

The rest of Naruto's day was quite interesting.

He met his supposed teammate, who was just plain weird. His name was Sai, and his choice of attire was rather odd, not to mention his skin was paper white! He also had some weird obsession with his dick. He wasn't going to be the one to question that.

He also met his new superior, Captain Yamato. He was also odd at first, and it almost seemed like he was making it a hobby to scare the living daylights out of him. Within the following weeks though, he started to consider them friends rather than just forced comrades. When he had his first encounter with Sasuke in over three years, he was shocked. Shocked out of his wits, in fact. Sasuke had grown physically and mentally- he was much stronger, and it shook him. The kid he used to so utterly hate, and then eventually consider a brother, has become so completely darkened with that sense of hatred and revenge. A captain, an ANBU member, an exceeding medical ninja and a Jinchuriki were overmatched by a single Uchiha. It could be considered sad. Naruto didn't consider it such, though. In fact, his resolve didn't waver at the slightest, it only strengthened. He felt livelier as ever as he returned, more than ready to begin intense training. He had to work on his Rasengan, on collaboration jutsus; he also had many people he wanted to talk to!

He still considered Sai weird at the end of it all, but at least he was sure of Sai having no ill intentions. Especially after he declared it his goal to express his friendship to his comrades. He no longer fake smiled.

Hinata was blissfully ignorant of what Naruto was going through, which he would consider her lucky, because all in all it was fairly stressful working with new people. Hinata never had to deal with such a problem, due to the fact the higher-ups considered it necessary a Byakugan user would only work with other sensory-type ninja, which it would be reasonable to assume she knew most of them. This wasn't luck on her part; she usually took the time to get to know her comrades. Shino seemed to especially like this about her, since Kiba was the complete opposite.

Ironically enough, she returned back from her mission right before Naruto did. Most of it was spent listening to Kiba's endless teasing of how she fainted over Naruto, in which she utterly regretted. Despite endless amounts of mental and physical training, she still wasn't able to control her rapid heartbeat when he was even spoken of. It used to be admiration, then infatuation, now she didn't even know what to call the foreign feeling which overwhelmed her in his presence. Was she allergic to him? That would have probably been foolish to consider, but she almost turned to that conclusion seeing she could work well with anyone else in Konoha.

When she returned from her mission, she allowed herself to indulge in these different thoughts, the total time she saw him amounted to less than a minute, so how come she couldn't help but find herself constantly smiling for the previous week? And he had gotten so broad, so tall and so much more mature. She flushed thinking about it, yet couldn't help but acknowledged the light, happy feeling overwhelming her being.

Now, what did he think of her? She wished to know so badly, although she would never bring herself to ask such a question. Besides, she was well aware she wasn't the only person on Naruto's mind. He was happy to see everyone.

She sighed, collapsing onto the purple sheets of her bed.

Meanwhile Naruto just arrived home, and man, was he happy. That mission sure took a lot out of him, but thankfully he had a few days to rest.

He didn't even stop to have a cup of ramen as he navigated his way through the dark apartment, feeling around so he wouldn't trip over something stupid and break his arm. When his body came in contact with the bed, it was indescribable, the bliss he felt at that very moment.

With that, he fell asleep in his bed, empty stomach, fully dressed and didn't even bother to take off his shoes. No one couldn't deny that's typical of Naruto.

0o0o0o0

The next morning Hinata woke up as early as usual, attended morning training with Neji, Hanabi, and her father.

She watched from aware when walking with Shino and Kiba as Naruto laughed with Choji and Shikamaru. "What are they doing?" she couldn't help but to wonder; they seemed to be having much fun. Sometimes she wished she could be more outgoing like Kiba, or one of the other chunin.

"What are you looking so gloomy for?!" Kiba's voice rang throughout the area, and it startled her. Surely Naruto had heard him.

"K-Kiba! I'm not…" She looked away, knowing he would surely be able to see right through her.

Sure enough, Naruto noticed.

"Hey Naruto!" Kiba waved, "Come over here, will ya?"

She felt her heart hammering in her chest as she grabbed the hem of Kiba's shirt, shaking her head. She did not want to further embarrass herself by doing something stupid like fainting.

He simply smiled and patted her head as Naruto ran over, oblivious and cheerful as ever.

"Yo guys! What's up?" The blond chimed. His hair was as wild as ever, but it would be weird if he were to style it. It matched it bright orange jump suit, his whole appearance just screamed "Naruto!"

"We haven't seen you for 3 years and that's all you greet us with?!"

Naruto scratched the back of his head, biting his lip. "Hey, I talked to you guys a few weeks ago…"

"That doesn't count!" Kiba glared jokingly; Naruto laughed as Shino began his sulking process.

She didn't even look at him. She couldn't. She couldn't risk fainting or making a fool out of herself in from of him, or Kiba; perhaps she could hold onto the little pride she had left.

"Hey Hinata, what's wrong?"

Or maybe not.

She lifted her head slightly to be overwhelmed by him. His facial expression had worry written all over, such contrast to his normal happy tone.

"Eh?" He firmly grabbed her shoulders, causing her to tense up. "Don't tell me you're going to faint again!"

She tensed more; Kiba broke out laughing.

"I…I won't…" She bit her lip, because she was almost positive she would have if Naruto kept touching her even like that.

She suddenly got pulled into his chest, and her eyes widened. He was embracing her, and she swore at that distance he could probably hear her heartbeat.

"I missed ya, Hinata!"

Kiba smiled at them. He knew she was a strong girl, and was confident she would be able to get over her one weakness; Naruto.

"Naruto-kun!" She squeaked, holding onto him for support. Her knees were about to give out on her and she didn't need to fall into him like that.

"Eh?" He questioned, wondering why she was so tense. Did she not like him? He certainly did not like that thought, not to mention he couldn't understand why in the world such a sweet girl like Hinata would hold something against him. Did he ever do anything to her?

"…I-It's nothing." She muttered, resting her forehead against his shoulder. He let out a sigh of relief and realized just how comforting it was. If he were to describe it…it would be very sensual- embracing a girl. Yet he somehow got the feeling that it wouldn't be the same if he were to do it to Sakura or some other girl.

"Aww, how cute!" Kiba teased, grinning.

"Aw, shut up, Kiba, we haven't seen each other in a long time!" He stuck out his tongue, placing his hand over the back of her head protectively, preventing her from moving. She could not believe it, not only was he embracing her…but he was defending her as well!

"Don't faint, don't faint, don't faint." She kept repeating in her head, she did not want to ruin the one and possible only moment she would get with Naruto.

"Hey, you haven't seen me in a long time too! Where's my hug, huh?" Kiba grinned, he was having fun with this, although he knew it would be smart not to take it too far if he didn't want Hinata to ignore him all day again.

"..And mine…?" Shino asked. What?

Naruto raised a brow, questioning the sexuality and sanity of her teammates. Like, it would be totally cool if they were bisexual or homosexual or whatever, although he couldn't see Kiba like that and Shino wasn't even fit to be with anyone. It was kind of weird, however, that they demanded such hugs. In fact, the only people he would consider it not weird to demand a hug would be…well, never mind, it would be weird regardless who it was.

He let his hold loosen much to her disappointment, and turned to face the boy and his dog. "What are ya talkin' about? Now you guys are just being weird…"

Hinata rested her hands on her chest, trying to calm down as she watched the two converse rather oddly.

"We're just jokin', right, Shino!?" He laughed, glancing over at his teammate. He did not appear to be joking, although you couldn't really tell through that heavy clothing.

"Yeah…'joking'…because…that's what friends do, right, Naruto?"

Naruto looked at them with a horrific expression.

"Hinata…" He murmured, gently grabbing her wrist. "We should uh, get out of here. I think your teammates are uhhh…just…"

She didn't know how to respond, so she looked at Kiba for help. He only winked at her. What a help, Kiba. She returned her gaze to Naruto and nodded slightly, seeing as though there would be no way she could possibly reject him.

"'Kay! Bye….Kiba, Shino…." Hey eyed them questionably before gently pulling on her wrist, leading her away.

She followed silently, glancing up at him every once in a while. His eyes were so blue, so clear, so happy! She wished she could stare into those azure eyes all day, but, her goal wasn't to creep him out.

"Hey, Hinata!" He suddenly blurted out, turning to her. "Remember right before I left? Like, right before I left?"

She met his eyes, confused. "Uhh…Y-Yeah, I think so. Why?"

"Remember when we went swimming?!" He grinned, gently letting go of her wrist to express his excitement. This brought a smile to her face.

"I-I do, why?"

He glanced to the side, as if he was thinking, remembering what he promised himself concerning her, and then returned his gaze to her. "Let's go there tonight! Just you and me; we can talk, does that sound good?"

She had never expected him to ask her _that_. Maybe when they were little and they used to be lonely, but now she was just a shy girl and he was the most popular guy in the village! What compelled him to take her out swimming again?

She avoided his eyes nervously, fidgeting with her fingers. "Um…"

It took a moment before it appeared he was hit with a sudden realization. "Oh, you…don't want to go? That's okay, too!"

"N-No!" She burst out, surprising him. "Of course I want to." She said a bit more quietly, averting her eyes again.

He smiled at her modesty, how cute could she be? Nonetheless he was ecstatic she accepted, it was something he waited for nearly 3 years. "Thanks Hinata! I'll see you tonight, then!"

He quickly ran off, startling her. "Naruto-kun…seems so excited…" She thought, it was just then she realized how red her face must have been. She was happy, too. This meant that Naruto didn't forget all about her and more so he still considered her a friend. In all honesty and despite her fears, she didn't expect that of him, since when has he started abandoning people?

"Hey, Hinata! What's up?" The sudden slap on the back caused her to jump, quickly turning around to face Kiba. He had learned to read her expressions like an open book, it's not like it was hard to read her, anyways.

"Don't tell me." He grinned, "Naruto asked you on a date! Didn't he?" He quickly backtracked, realizing his sudden tone of voice. "Wow…didn't mean to sound like one of your girl friends there, Hinata…but seriously, did he?"

She glanced at Shino, who was behind him, as if silently asking for help. Of course he didn't say anything, you never want to get in between a canine and its prey.

"N-No Kiba, it's not that…"

"Then what is it?" He smirked, "Your face is all red, you can't hide it from me!"

Sometimes she wondered if Kiba just liked to verbally torture her. Would it be so much trouble to just let up once? She felt her cheeks burn and she avoided the questioning glances of her teammates, wishing she could head home to get ready already.

"I'm just kidding, Hinata." He patted her shoulder. "Jeez, you look like you're about to keel over!" She felt the sturdy grip on her shoulders, steadying her as her world spun.

"I-I'm sorry," She stuttered, leaning into him for support. "I just don't feel good." She wasn't lying, though she certain she wasn't sick. If Naruto knew just how anxious she was, he probably would have felt supremely guilty asking her to spend time with him, and possibly would have avoided it altogether. He was slowly becoming aware of this trait in Hinata, although he was still clueless as to why.

Shino quietly stood in the background, where he belongs, along with Akamaru as Kiba worriedly fussed over her. "Hey, Hinata! Hinata? Stay with me, Hinata."

The brunette was kind enough to escort her to her house, a bit reluctant to leave her. She reassured him Neji would be there and eventually got him to go. She felt bad, for worrying her teammates so much, but it was hard to help. She could go through training on almost any subject plausible, but for liking a boy? Could she even bring herself to ask her elders, or even Neji about that?

She stumbled inside the estate, navigating her way through corridors. The first thing she did was scarf down a glass of water, and sure enough Neji eyed her questionably. She didn't bother to strike up a conversation as she resided to her bedroom, closing the door unenthusiastically. She would have to get ready quickly, and with that, try to calm herself down as well.

Meanwhile, Naruto was strolling down the popular streets of the village, happy and carefree as ever. He was heading home, too, but taking the long way. It was enjoyable: listening to the various conversations, inhaling the intoxicating smell of something freshly baked, simply feeling the warmth of the breeze on your skin.

"Hey Naruto, are you listening?!"

He jumped, for the first time in a long while he was caught off guard. "Sakura-chan?"

He turned to see his pink-haired friend looking quite annoying, a contemptuous look spread across her face. "Jeez, you can be so oblivious, ya know? I was calling out your name since you turned onto this street!" She quickened her pace so they could continue walking together.

He scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Sorry, Sakura. I'm just so happy, so I kinda didn't notice everything else!"

She tilted her head, "Happy…hm, why is that?"

"No reason." He grinned, relaxing. "What are you doing, anyways?"

"I just have to go report this to Lady Tsunade," she said in a casual tone, referring to the papers in her hand, "what about you?"

"Ahh," he sighed contentedly, "I'm going to see Hinata tonight!"

"Oh, really?" She smirked, "A date?"

He shook his head, biting his lip, "Nah! Well…no, nothing like that. I just haven't got to talk to her much since I came back, ya know?"

She nodded. "Suuuure. Anyways, this is where we have to part. So I'll see you later!"

He waved his goodbye as he watched her hastily walk towards Ino before whispering something in her ear. They both snickered; that worried him slightly as he turned, returning to his home.

"A date? Yeah, right!" He sighed, continuing down his path. "Like I could ever get a date with her…"

When he arrived, he quickly opened the door to find the usual mess. It made him sigh. Usually, he couldn't care less about the mess which would overwhelm everyone else. He quickly went around, picking up trash (which consisted mostly of ramen cups), picked up spare clothing. It was rather surprising how putting in so little effort could earn such large results as he examined his now decent household.

"Nice." He commented, stripping off his clothing. "I'd better hurry before I'm late!"

0o0o0o0

He arrived shirtless, merely draping a towel over his shoulder. It wasn't quite sunset yet, but pretty close, and he couldn't help but to find it strange when he didn't find Hinata at their destination point when he got there. She usually was one to arrive early.

He shrugged it off as nothing, taking off his shoes and throwing them near a tree. He rubbed his shoulder- it was sunburnt. He has grown used to these types of things ever since he left the village. That said, he eagerly jumped into the cool water, seeking its soothing capabilities. It shocked him at first, the comfort from the warm air nearly being stripped away all at once, but once he grew used to it he wouldn't get out if someone begged him to.

"Naruto-kun?"

"Ah!" He gasped, turning around. There she was, wearing shorts and a large sweater over her bathing suit. He didn't expect any less. "Hinata? Oh, hey!"

"I-I'm sorry…did I scare you?" She held her towel close to her chest, shutting her eyes. "I didn't mean to."

"No!" He said nervously, shaking his head. "No, no, no, no! It's just been a while, ya know? Come on it, it's cool!"

She opened her eyes, looking down at him with uncertainty. For a moment he thought she was going to reject, but eventually, although hesitantly she took off her jacket. He didn't stare at her while she did so, even he was aware that would make the most normal of people uncomfortable. When he turned back, he couldn't help but to notice how her swimsuit was orange! It was so different from what he expected he couldn't help but to laugh. It's not like it looked bad or anything, it was just odd seeing such a flashy color on such a shy girl.

He snapped out of it when she jumped it, squeaking.

"Cold?" He asked in a casual tone when she resurfaced, "I guessed I should've warned ya, huh?"

She shook her head, her hair fanning out in the water. "It just surprised me."

He smiled. "So, have you gotten any better in swimming since I left? Didn't you have trouble or something?" It was his way of trying to start a conversation with her.

"Yes." She said shyly. "I have…thanks to you, Naruto."

He raised a brow. "Thanks to me? Nah, you're the one who achieved it, Hinata! You're a strong girl. Don't underestimate yourself; I knew you could do it!"

Her face turned red. "You knew…?"

"Hm? I can't here you!" She was mumbling again, why did she always do that around him?

She shook her head. "It's nothing, N-Naruto-kun." She needed to calm herself down. Neji forced her to give him a detailed explanation on where she was going before she left (hence why she was late). He probably would of just let it be if it weren't for the fact that she looked like she was going to faint, but, he was often concerned for his younger cousin. He wasn't too content with the fact she would be seeing Naruto alone (being full aware of her feelings), but wasn't going to play the father role in her life.

He raised a brow. "Hey, Hinata, why are you so quiet all the time? And are you sick or something?"

"N-No." She replied quickly, her face heating up. "I'm sorry…I'm just…" She mumbled, "shy."

"Shy?" He laughed, "Shy of what?

She lowered herself into the water in an attempt to conceal herself, trying to avoid his question. He waited, but not for long.

"So what is it?"

She knew he wasn't going to let it go, and she was the one who backed herself into the corner. Might as well answer him. "Y-You…"

He tilted his head, as if comprehended what she had just said before breaking out into laughter. "You're shy of me?! Really? Why, am I scary?"

She shook her head violently. "N-No! I'm sorry…"

His laughter eventually died out as an awkward silence settled between both of them. The realization that he was the reason she appeared so uncomfortable slightly tore at him, as if he was making her suffer in some way.

"I'm sorry, Hinata." He muttered guilt obvious in his voice. "I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable." It was very out of character of him, to suddenly remain so calm, but nonetheless it made it much easier to converse with him.

"No, Naruto-kun. It's n-not like that." She leaned forward slightly, reaching out to grab his hand, which was quite bold on her part but also felt necessary. "I like…spending time with you…"

His eyes lightened up as she spoke, a smile returning to his face. "Really? So…hm…" He thought up reasons as to why she would be so shy, yet enjoy spending time with him. Was he intimidating…or?

It hit him.

She liked him.

It took him long enough to realize, especially considering almost everyone else in the village knew about it. What he couldn't comprehend, however, is why such a pretty, strong, not to mention royal young lady like him of all people? He had unspoken heritage, he lived alone in a small apartment, and for the longest time no one seemed to approve of him. He suddenly felt a jolt of happiness at the realization that someone _liked _him. Sure, he had many friends now, but thinking back, not a lot of them were too kind to him back in the academy days. When everyone glanced at him, muttering how troublesome of a boy he was, whenever he looked at Hinata she just smiled.

He jolted forward despite the water's resistance and hugged her tightly. It took her by surprise.

"Naruto-kun?" She questioned, confused at his sudden reaction. "A-Are…you okay?"

"Hinata." He smiled, pulling back slightly. He didn't even realize how weird that must of came off to her, suddenly hugging her like that. "It's nothing; I just really miss seeing you, that's all. You need to tell me everything that has happened while I was gone!"

She looked up at him, still overcome with that sudden shock. "You…want to know…?"

"Of course!" He leaned against the wall, getting a clear view of her perplexed facial expression as he felt himself relax. "Then I'll tell you everything that has happened to me."

That's how their night carried on; she was able to tell him her whole story, about family issues slowly being resolved to funny moments she had with Kiba and Shino. To her surprise, Naruto patiently listened to all of it, sometimes laughing, sometimes giving his feedback. He was a lot more interested in her suddenly. He wanted to know what pained her, what made her laugh, her interests and dislikes; he wanted to know why he felt so connected to someone he barely conversed with. He found out partially- her father's abandonment along with her own cousin's (although he already knew somewhat of that). He wanted to punch the man in the face for giving up on someone who was so clearly strong, but his opinion slightly changed upon learning that he was giving her a second chance. It made him even happier to know that it was ultimately because of him that his perspective had changed, but still, he was aware once the damage to someone's soul had been done, it takes a long time to heal. Even now, when the young blond is surrounded by smiling friends and mentors daily…he can never help but to realize that in one point of their lives, they thought of him as a nuisance. A little kid who had been shunned for something he couldn't help. That's why he couldn't help but to sympathize with the pain she bore, feeling compelled to try and take it away all at once. She was following him, now, and she was becoming strong for him. In all honesty, he didn't know how to react, even though he was aware that many people had changed because of him. He never considered himself a hero because of it, it had been one of his goals to change how people see other's since he was a small child. Those who told him he was just being naïve now watch in amazement as he seems to change people's fates left and right.

He was an amazing kid, especially to Hinata.

After coming to this realization, he decided it would be okay to reveal most of his ideals to her. They were two of a kind, and perhaps by reaching for the same goal, they would be able to change this world together.

"Do you know what Pervy Sage always told me?" He looked at her. After so much talking her stutter tended to fade away, and she was definitely more bold in speaking and her word choice. He had to admit, he definitely preferred that over painstakingly trying to figure out what she was saying, but he wouldn't mind either way.

"What did he tell you?" She questioned, looking up at the sky. The moon shone brightly.

"He told me…" he began, recalling the moment, "that his goal was to achieve peace in this world. He doesn't know how, at least not yet, but I'm his protégé…so, if he fails, it's my job to achieve it!"

She glanced over at him with wide eyes. "World peace? Do you really think that is possible?"

"Of course." His eyes glistened, "just look at Gaara, or Neji…or Grandma Tsunade. They've all changed! Same with your father, right?" His enthusiasm made her smile.

"You're right. If anyone is able to achieve that…I think it would be you, Naruto-kun. I'm positive you will become Hokage, and bring Sasuke-kun back to the village."

"Of course!" He grinned in somewhat of an arrogant manner, yet genuinely. "Do you really think it's possible, though?"

She nodded. "I used to be…very gloomy. Now, especially when I look at you…I can believe in anything, Naruto-kun."

He felt immensely happy, inspired as she put her confidence into him. He couldn't wait to continue on his path, seeing where the world would take him- take them.

And when they both gazed at the moon, he realized he could make anything possible.

**I'm sorry I took so freaking long writing this. I've been sick for the last week, and the medicine I take makes me pretty loopy, so I figured it probably wasn't such a good idea to be writing on it, thus my writing time has been fairly limited. Also, the lack of reviews is fairly disheartening….it may not seem it, but I take into account every piece of feedback I get, and adjust my story according to it. It's also very motivating, so seeing no reviews is the equivalent (at least in my mind) "no one's enthusiastic for this story". I've even considered scrapping it a few times, and probably would have if it weren't for my friend who has helped me out (thanks Jasper!). Anyways, to those who review, thank you very much. Same with those who read. I'll be starting school in 2 weeks, hopefully I can manage to squeeze one more chapter out before then, and hopefully it will be even longer. Thanks for reading!**


	12. Temporary Author's Note

I regret to inform everyone that it might be quite a while before this fanfiction is updated.

You see, I just got a bunch thrown at me. Beginning high school (with the stress of being in multiple advanced classes), studying 2 foreign languages, trying to meet up with friends that live hundreds of miles from me (exciting!), keeping track of multiple video games and animes, and taking on design and fashion production…it's hard, and continuing the fanfiction is on the bottom on my list.

This does not mean I will cease writing this story, I full well intend to continue. I'm just warning it may be awhile.

Also, I'm sorry if my last author's note sounded threatening…lol, that wasn't the intention, either, but I got an explosion in reviews *laughs nervously*. Thanks for your inputs. I read each and every one of them.

Until I update, you can follow me at . It's my tumblr blog, where you can simply follow, or request other fanfictions, or just say hi. I'll be looking forward to it.

Thank you so much for following this far, I intend to go far with this!


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